Albion's New Age
by Sanae
Summary: Alternate End for 5x13 in which Merlin sacrifices it all for Arthur written for post-finale self-therapy. Contains spoilers.
1. Prologue

_A/N: This won't be a long story. I just needed to write it so that I would get it off my chest. Also because I do want to finish my Initial D based story Planetarium which has NOT been updated in a very long time and I know some people will kill me if I don't do it soon. _

_Anyway, in spite of what this Prologue promises, fear not, I'm not the BBC so I do like HAPPY ENDINGS._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, BBC and Shine do. If I did, this is how Series Five would have ended._

**Albion's New Age**

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**Prologue**

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"_Take heart, for when Albion's need is greatest, Arthur will rise again." _

Kilgharrah's words resonated in Merlin's head as he watched the Great Dragon flying away. Slowly, with the utmost reverence, the young warlock lowered Arthur's lifeless body onto the ground. He stood up and stared at his King's face and, for one masochistic moment, he let himself drown in the harrowing pain that threatened to consume every fibre of his being.

Arthur was dead.

After everything he'd done, everything he'd sacrificed, Merlin had failed to fulfil his destiny and not even the faraway promise of Arthur's return could make anything alright. Nothing would ever make sense to Merlin without having Arthur by his side.

Letting himself fall onto his knees, he cupped Arthur's face with his hand, placing the other right onto the cold surface of the fallen King's chainmail. Merlin stayed like this for a while, noticing in horror how Arthur's skin became cooler to the touch. Soon it would be as cold as the armour.

Merlin's rational side knew that the only thing he could do was to give Arthur a proper burial and then head back to Camelot so that he could inform Gwen of the tragedy which had fallen upon their Kingdom. He would then place himself at her mercy to do with him what she willed.

Then, his irrational side kicked in. Telling him, no, shouting at him that he still hadn't done everything for Arthur. That he still had one more thing he could use to save his King: his magic.

Racking his brain, he started compiling a list of every incantation he had ever read or heard about trying to find something that he could use. He discarded the enchantments involving the balance of life and death. From personal experience, Merlin knew they were far too vague to be reliable.

He then remembered of an ancient theory he had read about in one of the obscure books which he had found in Gaius' chambers. It spoke of the possibility to transfer the life force from one living creature to another. He knew that the spell required, while extremely simple in its wording, it was the most advanced and powerful kind of magic and that no one had actually attempted to use it before.

Yet again, Merlin doubted any magic-user had ever been as desperate as he was.

He, quite literally, had nothing to lose.

Still on his knees, Merlin placed both of his hands on top of Arthur's chest. Using the unbearable pain caused by the loss of his best friend to fuel his concentration, he let his magic flow from the core of his powers, channelling it through his arms towards his palms. He soon felt the usual white hot fire pulsing in his brain as his eyes turned gold with his magic.

"_Edgiefan ælíf_," he muttered softly, repeating it over and over again in an endless litany, "_edgiefan ælíf, edgiefan ælíf, edgiefan ælíf, edgiefan ælíf, edgiefan ælíf, edgiefan ælíf…_"

Merlin was beginning to wonder when he'd know whether the spell was working or not when, all of a sudden, he felt the temperature of his own body drop. Merlin dared to look at Arthur one more time and he gasped at what he saw: the King's body was surrounded by a yellow-ish aura.

The young warlock realised that the aura was coming straight from his palms and, the more he emitted it, the colder he got and he soon started feeling too faint to stay awake. The last sensation his brain registered was a slow but reassuring thumping sound coming from within Arthur's chest. Then, darkness claimed him.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter One

A/N: In spite of what this might look like, I must insist – I like happy endings.

Also, thanks to Ocean Mint Leaves for the review and to those who have followed/favourited this story

Please let me know what you think, ok?

**Albion's New Age **

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**Chapter One**

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The first thing he felt was the wet and cold grass soaking the back of his head. The unpleasant shiver he felt down his spine didn't feel right and, for a fleeting moment, Arthur found himself wondering if this was what being dead felt like.

He remembered the last image his brain had managed to memorise before his eyes had closed for the eternal sleep. He firmly believed that Merlin's utterly devastated face and the extraordinary amount of pain and selfless affection he'd seen in his friend's eyes would haunt him even in the afterlife.

Arthur's impression that something was amiss increased when he felt the incoming air being pushed into his lungs and the slow but steady heartbeat. Of course he had never been dead before but, he was pretty sure that he had stopped breathing right before he'd passed away.

With his eyes still closed, he paid attention to his other senses. His sense of smell captured the scent of the wet grass and the mud on the nearby shore. He also smelt his own sweat and the sickening stench from the dirty clothes he wore under his chainmail. His hearing told him he was near water but it was his touch which gave him the final clue: moving his hand about, he touched something Arthur was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to feel.

Opening his eyes, he saw the same blue sky he'd seen just minutes before. Making an effort to sit up, trying not to choke himself with his own armour, he looked at his left and saw what he'd touched.

Merlin.

His servant was lying onto his side, apparently sleeping.

Too confused to even contemplate the myriad of theories which raced in his mind, he knelt by Merlin's body and, placing a hand onto his friend's shoulder, he tried to shake him awake.

"Merlin," he said with a raspy voice, "Merlin, wake up!"

His friend refused to rouse from his sleep and it wasn't until he moved closer to him when he felt the handle of his sword piercing onto his side. The light pain he felt was definitely out of place and it was only then when he realised he was very much alive.

"How…"

Arthur didn't finish the sentence for the answer to his question was right in front of him. Turning Merlin onto his back, he noticed the large bloody stain soiling the blue shirt. Lifting it up, he saw the wound which was supposed to be his. It was badly infected. Blood pooled right under Merlin's body.

"Oh no…"

Feeling a lump in his throat, the King found himself incapable of speech. Instead, he tried to remember the times he'd seen Gaius and even Merlin himself tending their patients and, removing his gloves, he gently took Merlin's wrist and started searching for a pulse. Finding nothing there, he moved on to the side of his neck and finally, placed his head on top of the all-too-still chest. No heartbeat there either.

Merlin was dead.

"NO!" he shouted, shaking Merlin's lifeless body as if the action could bring him back, "MERLIN!"

He realised his attempts were futile and, with mounting desperation, he hugged his friend, his confidant, in the same way Merlin had done with him only moments before. His brain refused to process what had happened and instead, it sent instructions to his limbs to hug Merlin even tighter while the first couple of tears started falling from his eyes while he rocked them both back and forth.

In his extreme sorrow, Arthur failed to notice the flapping sound made by a pair of gigantic wings and it was only when the ground shook right under his knees that he noticed the beast which had just landed.

A dragon.

A huge dragon.

Yellow eyed, over thirty foot tall and looking like he was ready to destroy everything.

Panicking, he let go of Merlin's body and, placing himself right in front of it, protecting his deceased servant from the dragon, he drew his sword and prepared himself to defend him from the monster.

"EMRYS!" Kilgharrah screamed, ignoring the King, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"Don't get any closer!" Arthur roared.

Finally, the dragon graced the King with a glance and, sneering, he said:

"You cannot kill me with that."

"I will kill you!" Arthur promised.

"It was my breath that forged the weapon you wield," the dragon explained almost patronisingly, "I cannot be killed with it."

Arthur's brain stopped cooperating and, once again, he found himself speechless and, as if driven by an all powerful force, he lowered the sword and took a sideways step so that the dragon would have a clear view of Merlin's body. The ancient creature lowered his head almost in reverence.

"Emrys," the dragon repeated now almost whispering, "what have you done?"

"Is there something you can do?" the King begged.

"Unfortunately not," Kilgharrah replied with such a sad tone of voice that it made Arthur stare at him.

What he saw almost sent him back onto his knees. The sorrow and love which filled those huge yellow eyes were just as powerful as the ones he himself felt for his friend. Arthur didn't need to be told that, for some obscure reason, Merlin meant as much to the beast as he did to himself and that his death had shaken the creature just as badly. For an instant, Arthur pushed aside his own pain and felt pity for the dragon.

"NO!" Kilgharrah shouted all of a sudden, startling the King.

Arthur looked down at Merlin's body and saw a soft white, pulsating hue exuding from him. The hue increased its intensity until it became a white hot blinding light which engulfed Merlin's entire being. Dropping on his knees, Arthur tried to touch it but he felt a burning sensation on his palms.

"Don't touch him!" the dragon warned.

"What's happening to him?" Arthur screamed in panic.

Kilgharrah opened his mouth to answer but, just then, the white-hot light imploded, sending a massive shockwave which created ripples onto the very ground. The quake sent Arthur onto his backside and he had to use his hands to steady himself. Meanwhile, the dragon uttered a scream filled with agony.

A second later, the white hot light was gone, taking Merlin's body with it.

"NO!" Arthur shouted scrambling to get back on his knees, "Merlin!"

"He's gone," Kilgharrah wheezed weakly.

"WHY?" Arthur asked, he knew the question was pointless but he still needed to know.

"What you saw," the dragon said, "was Merlin's magic dispersing back into earth itself."

"But…"

"He's gone," Kilgharrah repeated, "the last dragonlord is no more."

Arthur was shaking with a whirl of emotions. Everything had stopped making sense.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," the dragon said almost as though as he was talking to himself, "he wasn't supposed to die. It was _your_ destiny to die at the hand of the druid boy; it was _your_ destiny to rise once more when Albion's greatest moment of need came to pass. Merlin's destiny was to wait for that moment so that he could guide you and protect you as he's always done."

Arthur's heart cringed hearing the dragon's last statement. It was true, he had seen it himself in these past few days, Merlin had always been by his side, helping him, guiding him, protecting him. For no other reward than keeping his King safe.

"I'm sorry," he felt the need to say.

The dragon glared at him and Arthur took a couple of paces backwards.

"I should have known," Kilgharrah said, "the young warlock was a most stubborn man. The love he felt for you and his belief that your existence was more important than his, those were his undoing."

Arthur felt himself suffocating with a lethal mixture of guilt, pain and remorse.

"What can I do?" he asked.

"Nothing," the dragon replied, "you can do nothing."

"There must be something I can do to make this right," Arthur insisted.

"Go home," Kilgharrah ordered, "go back to Camelot. Never forget that each day you live from now on was earned by the biggest of sacrifices. The world will be an empty place without the young warlock."

With that final statement, the dragon moved his wings upwards and with a phenomenal jump, he took off in a majestically elegant flight. Arthur watched it all in awe but then his brain made a connection:

"Wait! I've seen you before! You…"

Kilgharrah disappeared, leaving Arthur at mid-sentence. The quiet that followed reminded him of what had happened. Merlin had sacrificed himself to save him. He was dead and Arthur didn't know what to do. He felt tears in his eyes and, before he could do anything to stop it, he started crying once again.

_To be continued… _


	3. Chapter Two

A/N: To the lovely people who have reviewed: massive thanks for your kind words. Kudos also to the ones who have favourited/followed.

Also, to the anon reviewer: did you think I would change the end without having Gwaine somehow survive? Please, Gwaine The Fabulous is my favourite knight and it killed me to see him get disposed of in such a banal manner. So, yes, he's alive in my headcanon. I hope you like that!

**Albion's New Age**

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**Chapter Two**

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Several hours later, with the sun having set and night starting to fall on the island, Arthur remained curled up in a foetal position, lying right on the spot where he'd last seen Merlin. Both his soul and body ached with the loss of his friend, his confidant, his most trusted ally and the King simply didn't think he'd be able to move, even if he wanted to. How could he when he felt like half of him was missing?

All of a sudden, his training as a warrior allowed him to hear the splashing noises coming from the shore but, somehow, Arthur couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't bother lifting his head up to find the source of the sound and, for a brief moment, he found himself praying the Saxon had found him. With a bit of luck, they would kill him quickly and put him out of his misery.

"SIRE!" he heard someone shouting from a distance, "SIRE!" he heard again, this time closer.

Arthur tried to will himself to move, but he still couldn't manage it.

"ARTHUR!" the voice exclaimed once more and then the King found himself being shaken by a firm hand.

It probably was supposed to be a light gesture but the inhuman strength from the hand's owner made him rock back and forth so hard that Arthur had to steady himself against the soaking ground.

"Sire," the voice said, "please don't be dead!"

Somewhere within Arthur's stupefied brain he recognised the voice.

It was Percival's, his strongest knight.

"Arthur, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," the King lied. He was anything but fine.

"Are you sure?" Percival asked, kneeling next to him, "I heard you were badly hurt during the battle."

"I'm fine," Arthur insisted.

"Oh thank goodness," said Percival sounding infinitely relieved, "I thought I'd never find you!"

Arthur could not bring himself to answer to that.

"Where's Merlin?" asked Percival.

This time, the King actually looked at Percival and, in the shadows, he saw the big man looking around, as if he was expecting Merlin to pop out of nowhere. If the situation had not been so dire, Arthur would have laughed, instead, he used the last strands of his mental lucidity to say:

"He's gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Percival now asked, alarm in his voice.

"He's dead," Arthur somehow managed to explain.

"What?" Percival asked.

"He's dead," Arthur repeated, quickly growing tired of speaking.

"NO!" the knight protested, " I need him! Gwaine needs him right now! He's seriously hurt and he urgently needs a physician. He needs Merlin! He can't be dead. He just can't!"

"Merlin's dead," Arthur said, "leave me alone."

"Sire…"

"Leave me," Arthur repeated, "that's an order."

"But sire…" Percival tried again then, he hesitated for a moment before adding, "we need to get back to the camp. I left Gwaine there but he can't be left alone for too long. Sire, we need to go now."

"No," Arthur insisted almost childishly, "I'm not leaving."

"Sire…"

"You have your orders," Arthur said, "now leave me."

"No," Percival dared to say, "I am very sorry about this Sire but, you're coming with me, whether you like it or not."

"That's insubordination," Arthur pointed out.

"Yes it is," Percival said, "but you're still coming with me, even if I have to carry you."

Arthur glared at the knight but Percival just ignored him and, instead, it occurred to him, "where is Merlin's body? We should give him a proper burial before we go."

"He's gone," Arthur deadpanned, "there's no body to bury."

For a moment, Percival looked like he'd just been slapped but, quickly recovering, he got back up and offering his hand to Arthur, he said:

"Come on Sire, I really would prefer it if I didn't have to carry you."

It looked like Arthur was going to keep resisting but, at long last, the King saw reason and, grabbing his knight's hand, he allowed Percival to pull him up. After lying on the cold ground for so long, he found it difficult to walk but, nevertheless, he still managed to make it to the tiny boat Percival had used to get to the island. Once on board, he allowed his brain to shut down.

Percival was sensitive enough to see that and, taking the oars, he started rowing back to the main land in complete silence. The knight couldn't believe it: Merlin was dead and, with him, all his hopes vanished.

After finding Gwaine barely alive, severely maimed by Morgana's torture, he'd found himself unable to decide whether he should rush his fellow knight to Camelot so he could get the treatment he so urgently needed or, rather, continue their quest to find the King and his servant.

Percival had opted for the latter seeing that if he found Merlin, the young man could tend to Gwaine just as well as Gaius would. But now, without Merlin, Percival knew his decision had condemned his brother-in arms to a slow and painful death.

At least he'd found the King safe and sound, he thought to himself. That was a small consolation.

It was pitch black by the time they reached the other shore and Percival found he had to help Arthur climb out since the King seemed to have lost the will to do anything at all.

"Sire, we must hurry," he tried.

The King did not respond to that. Instead, he just let himself be pointed in the right direction, apparently incapable of any conscious thought. Percival had to half drag him so that they could advance at a half-decent pace. Thanks to that, a few moments later, they reached the rudimentary camp he had prepared, happy to see that the fire was still lit. Getting closer, he saw that Gwaine's chest was still moving, allowing quick and shallow breaths which would hopefully provide the poor man with some air.

"Sit here," he told the King, "I'll try to get something for us to eat."

Arthur dropped himself onto a more or less flat rock, not fully aware of the cold or any protuberances which might have hurt his backside. With mounting worry, Percival saw that the King was in a catatonic state so he could not rely on his leader at all. He was on his own, to take care of a dying knight and a stunned King in a bandit-infested forest and with the Saxon still at large.

Increasing his grip around his dagger's handle, Percival got up and went to hunt something. Speed was imperative so he didn't stop to select his prey and killed the very first thing he found: a rabbit.

A while later, he managed to make a roast with it and, wishing he had potatoes or something similar, he prepared two portions, using a very small pot to start preparing the light broth he'd feed to Gwaine.

"Arthur," he said offering the King a bit of the rabbit, "you've got to eat."

The King didn't even acknowledge him.

"You must eat something," Percival insisted, "please, you'll need your strength."

Arthur didn't say anything but, thankfully, Percival saw him grab the piece of meat and bring it to his mouth. The knight didn't move until he saw the King nibbling his food. Only then, he started eating.

The morning could not come fast enough and, at first light, Percival started clearing camp. Carefully, he placed Gwaine on his back and, after securing him, he checked whether Arthur was ready to follow him.

"Sire, we have to go," he said.

The King managed a half-nod and started walking with Percival. The trek to Camelot from there would usually take a couple of days on horse. Since they were on foot, it would take considerably longer.

"Please Gwaine, hold on," Percival begged his fellow knight, "we're almost there," he added.

"Liar," he heard a weak whisper coming from behind his ear.

Smiling, he felt a surge of happiness filling his chest.

"Good to see you're awake," he said.

Percival didn't get any response but he noticed Gwaine's breathing was a little less jagged and that gave him the incentive he needed to walk just a little faster. He then spent most of the time taking turns between checking on Gwaine and making sure a deadly quiet Arthur was still willing to keep on walking.

A few days later, they finally entered the thick forest which marked the border with Camelot. Percival knew they weren't far from the city but it was getting dark and Gwaine needed a rest so he started setting up camp for what, he hoped, would be the last night of their journey. He had just made sure Gwaine was comfortable when he heard a sound coming from his left flank.

Just in case, he pulled Arthur down next to Gwaine and whispered:

"Sire, stay here and be very still."

Unsheathing his sword, he held his breath while he enhanced his hearing, trying to figure out who, or what was coming at them. He closed his eyes briefly and allowed his ears to tell him that at least half a dozen horses were riding towards him. The sound of their hooves barely covered the clanking noises made by the swords from their riders. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and readied himself for the fight of his life.

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter Three

A/N: Sorry, I wanted to upload this yesterday but I spent all day in bed with fever so I've only managed to proofread it today. I hope it's alright! Also, you have no idea of how happy I am you like this story. I will work hard to finish it as fast as I can!

**Albion's New Age**

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**Chapter Three**

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Percival spotted the thickest tree and hurried to take cover behind it. He waited there until the horses were almost upon him. The knight had learned in his many years earning his living by the sword that timing was essential: if he attacked too soon, or too late, it'd be the end of him.

He strained his eyesight and, as soon as he caught a glimpse of the muzzle from the horse leading the pack, he jumped right in front of it, swinging his sword upwards, ready to strike its rider.

"PERCIVAL!"

The shout surprised him almost as much as recognising the voice's owner. Percival was so relieved that he unwillingly loosened the grip on his sword and, had it not been for his exceptionally quick reflexes, the weapon would have fallen on top of his head. Taking care, he lowered the blade and glanced at the horse's rider.

"Sir Leon!" he screamed, his voice full of joy.

The other man looked even more stunned than Percival but the most experienced of all Camelot knights recovered very fast and, replacing shock with a pleased smile, he dismounted from his horse while he ordered his party, six of Camelot's finest men, to do the same.

"What are you doing here?" Leon asked him.

"It's a long story," Percival replied.

"Are you on your own?" Leon asked next.

"No," Percival replied, "Arthur and Gwaine are with me, he's badly hurt and if he doesn't get treatment soon he'll die."

"Of course," Leon said now looking serious, "we must get the King to Gaius immediately."

"The King's fine," Percival explained, "it's Gwaine who needs Gaius."

"I don't understand," Leon said, "Gaius said the King had been hurt during the battle and that Merlin was taking care of him. Speaking of whom, isn't Merlin with you too?"

"No," Percival replied then, not knowing how else to break the news, he just said, "he's dead."

"What?" a wide-eyed Leon asked, "how did…"

"I don't know what happened to him," Percival hurried to explain, "I knew Arthur was badly wounded and that's why I rushed to the Isle of Avalon but when I got there, I found him unhurt and on his own. He managed to tell me that Merlin's dead but he hasn't spoken ever since."

"Oh no," Leon said frowning in concern, "not Merlin…"

"I know," Percival said, "he was such a loyal servant, it's no wonder the King's devastated."

"He was much more than a servant," Leon pointed out, "he was Arthur's closest friend. In fact, I think he probably was the only true friend Arthur's ever had."

"But…"

"We're Arthur's knights and brothers-in-arms," Leon explained, "but that's a different kind of bond, I'm sure you understand that."

"I do," Percival replied.

"Show me where the camp is," Leon told him, "we'll ride back to Camelot tonight."

"Of course," Percival said.

While leading the way, Percival thought of the conversation he'd just had with Leon and he had to admit that it was true that Merlin had been closer to Arthur than anyone else. He had witnessed in countless occasions during the years how Merlin always seemed to be the only one able to stand up to the King whenever he was being too stubborn or to cheer him up whenever he felt depressed.

The sort of relationship the two shared reminded him of the friendship he'd had with Lancelot. Percival had met the dark haired stranger just after his family had been slaughtered and, if it hadn't been for Lancelot, who knew exactly what he was going through for it had also happened to him, he didn't know what would have become of himself. When Lancelot died, Percival felt like the world had become a much darker place.

For the first time in days, Percival understood the King's pain.

"There it is," he said to Leon, pointing at the makeshift camp.

Leon rushed to the two bumps formed by Gwaine and Arthur. He first checked on Gwaine, finding him unconscious but still breathing. He then moved to Arthur who was just lying there, in the same exact spot where Percival had pushed him too. The King was wide awake but, just as Percival had mentioned, he didn't seem to acknowledge anything or anyone.

"My Lord," Leon tried, "my Lord, it's me, Leon. Are you alright?"

Arthur didn't even look at him.

"He won't answer you," Percival said, "I've tried."

"Okay," Leon said, "in that case, I hope you'll forgive me Sire but, you leave me no choice."

Leon went to grab one of Arthur's arms and, pulling him upwards as carefully as he could, he waited until one of the soldiers did the same with the other arm. He then nudged Arthur to see if the King would start walking on his own and, to his immense relief, he saw that he did. Leon turned briefly towards Percival to tell him to take Gwaine but, as it turned out, the younger knight was way ahead of him: he already had Gwaine in his arms and was carrying him to one of the horses.

Shortly after that, with Gwaine secured on the horse Percival had selected for the task, the three knights, the six soldiers and the King were on their way to Camelot. Percival tried to keep the ride as smooth as possible to prevent further injury to the poor Gwaine while Leon seemed to have a much easier job at keeping Arthur steady in front of him. The King seemed to be finally willing to cooperate.

"Gwaine, we're almost there," Percival whispered, "I'm not lying, so don't you die on me, okay?"

This time, he noticed with concern, there was no witty comeback.

About an hour later and thanks to the full moon, they saw the breathtaking outline of Camelot's castle and not ten minutes after that the seven horses entered the fortress via its main gate. The two guards there sported equally stunned expressions.

"The King!" one of them shouted.

"They found the King!" the other responded.

As it usually happened in the city, the rumours travelled faster than the horses and, by the time they reached the castle's inner square, Percival and Leon saw Queen Guinevere and Gaius running down the stairs accompanied by a couple of half-asleep servants.

"ARTHUR!" the queen shouted, so overcome with joy she forgot her queenly dignity, "ARTHUR!"

They stopped the horses and while Percival got a couple of soldiers to help him with Gwaine, Leon helped Arthur dismount. Gwen ran towards them and, throwing her arms around Arthur's neck, she pressed him to her so tightly it looked as though she was never going to let go of him again.

"Gaius," Percival said, "Gwaine needs your help, he's…"

He couldn't finish the sentence because, right at that moment, he realised how terribly worn out Gaius looked. It seemed like he'd aged twenty years in a heartbeat and his luxurious white mane had been replaced by a mass of wispy silver threads.

Over Gwen's shoulder, Arthur spotted the old physician and then something odd happened: removing himself from his wife's arms, he walked towards Gaius and before anyone could stop him, he threw himself onto his knees before Gaius and, his voice hoarse due to not having been used in days, he said:

"I'm so sorry Gaius, I'm so very sorry, I…"

His speech broke with a sob and that prompted Gaius to get on his knees too. The old man hugged Arthur and, caressing the back of his blonde hair with a wrinkly hand, he did his best to reassure him.

"It wasn't your fault, Sire, it wasn't your fault."

"It was," Arthur said pushing himself away from Gaius, looking at him, desperation in his eyes, "it was!"

"It was not," Gaius insisted, "giving his life for yours was his destiny, Merlin knew that."

"NO!" they heard the Queen's distressed cry.

"My Lady…" Leon tried.

"Not Merlin," Gwen said with the smallest voice, "not him…oh Arthur…no…"

The Queen went to join her husband and the physician on the ground. Sensibly, Gaius let go of the King who, finally noticing his wife, brought his arms around her. While Gaius was helped up by Leon, the royal couple remained on the ground, sharing their pain through a tight hug and a stream of silent tears.

"Gaius," Percival said, "I'm really sorry about Merlin, I really am, but Gwaine needs your attention."

The physician looked at him and nodded once.

"Of course, take him to my quarters, I'll see to him immediately," he then glanced at Leon and said, "please make sure they get to the royal chambers. I'll go there as soon as I can to check on them."

"I will," Leon said then, he added, "Gaius, are _you_ alright?"

"No," Gaius replied honestly, "but I have work to do, I will think of my pain later."

"I understand," Leon said, "thank you."

Gaius nodded once more and then he followed Percival on their way to the physician's apartments.

After sending the soldiers back to their bunks, Leon was left with the task of getting Arthur and Gwen back on their feet. While he waited until the royal couple decided to go inside the castle, Leon thought that he had never seen Arthur looking so devastated before.

Not even when Uther died.

Gwen, on the other hand, had not taken the news much better and the poor thing was a sobbing mess. This, of course, only served to remind Leon that, while Merlin was Arthur's only friend, Merlin had been Gwen's best friend too. Plus, Elyan's death was still fresh on everyone's memory, including hers.

"My Lady," he said, "I know this is hard but you need to be strong, for him," he added looking at the King.

Gwen could only bring herself to nod but, true to her character she pulled herself together and, wiping the tears from her face, she offered her hand to her husband and said:

"Come on Arthur, let's go inside."

Through his tears, Arthur just looked at her, sorrow etched on his face.

"Come on," she repeated.

At long last, Arthur took her hand and, getting up they followed Leon to the royal chambers. The knight left them alone only after Gwen assured him they didn't need anything else. Leon smiled at her and said:

"Please take care of our King."

"I will," she promised.

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter Four

A/N: This chapter is what I really, really would have liked to see happening in the series. You'll see why.

Also, thanks for your support, it's really helping!

**Albion's New Age**

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**Chapter Four**

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Closing the door, Guinevere leant against the wooden surface for a moment while she gathered her thoughts. She glanced at the bed she'd shared with Arthur for nearly four years now and found her husband lying on top of it, still clad in his chainmail and armour, looking like he wasn't going to get out of it anytime soon. Taking a deep breath, the Queen walked the short distance between the door and the bed.

"Arthur," she said sitting next to him, "we…"

"He had magic," he said. He wasn't looking at her but staring at the ceiling.

"I know," Gwen said softly.

"You knew?" Arthur asked, glancing at her, astonishment briefly replacing sadness on his face.

"He never told me," Gwen explained, "I kind of guessed but, after the battle, I was sure of it."

"Of course," Arthur said, his gaze returning at the ceiling, "you always were a very smart woman."

"What happened to him?" Gwen asked him trying to be sensitive.

"I wish I knew," Arthur said dejectedly.

"Did…" Gwen started then, as though she needed to gather some courage, she tried again, "did he suffer?"

"I don't know," Arthur replied, "I simply don't know."

With this, the King started crying once again and, with him, Gwen felt her eyes shed fresh new tears. She placed her hand on top of Arthur's chest and, to her relief, he placed his still gloved hand on top of hers.

The couple remained immobile like this for an indefinite amount of time until both of them heard a knock on the door. Gwen got up from the bed and, while she walked to the door, she heard the clanking sound from Arthur's armour. Glancing briefly back to the bed, she saw him sitting against the bed's header.

Her lips curved in a small smile just before she opened the door.

"Gaius," she said replacing her smile with a concerned frown, "please come in."

"Thank you, my Lady," the old physician said.

"What brings you here?" Gwen asked him.

"I wanted to check on the King," Gaius replied tiredly.

"Is Gwaine…" she couldn't bring herself to finish the question.

"I've done all I can for him," Gaius said, "Morgana used the Nathair on him and it has caused extensive damage to his nervous system. There are several internal and external injuries that will need to heal but I won't really know how bad it is until he wakes up."

"I understand," Gwen said, "is there anyone with him now?"

"Sir Percival," Gaius replied with a weak smile, "he simply refuses to leave his side."

Gwen didn't say anything to that, instead, she accompanied the physician to the bed where they found Arthur still wide awake. He had been obviously listening to their conversation for the first thing he said was:

"I'm fine Gaius, I don't need a checkup."

"My Lord…" the old man started.

"I'm serious," Arthur insisted, "there's nothing physically wrong with me."

"What about your wound?" Gaius asked him. Too tired to stand up, he opted to sit on a nearby chair.

"It's gone," Arthur replied, "don't ask me how but Merlin did something that made my wound disappear and…" he stopped speaking as if he was incapable of continuing but then, he said, "it appeared on him."

"What did you just say?" Gaius asked, probably voicing the very question Gwen was about to ask.

"I'm not even sure of how that happened," Arthur said getting a little defensive.

"I understand that," Gaius reassured him, "why don't you start from the beginning, My Lord?"

Arthur looked like he would rather joust a hundred knights than to speak of what had happened in the Isle but, the fact that Gaius deserved an explanation gave him the incentive he needed to start talking:

"The last thing I saw was Merlin, crying his eyes out asking me to stay with him. I felt really cold but then, my body started heating up and when I woke up, I felt better than ever. I thought I was dead but I realised that I could still breathe and that I felt everything as if I were alive. I opened my eyes and I found Merlin lying next to me. He had the same wound I had and he'd…"

At this point, he found himself unable to carry on. Thankfully Gaius took over him.

"I can't believe it," the old man said. His proud expression confused both Arthur and Gwen.

"What is it?" the Queen asked him.

"Merlin…" he started then, he became overwhelmed with emotion. He passed his hand through his aged face before he could continue, "I think I know what he did, Sire."

"You do?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," Gaius said, "it's just a theory, the Old Religion speaks of an incantation that allows a magic user to transfer his or her life force to another being. I think that what Merlin used was a variation of this spell."

"But, why did he have to get hurt?" Gwen asked him.

"I don't know that," Gaius said, "I guess the spell made it possible for Merlin to remove Arthur's wound. Unfortunately, the only living being around able to receive it was himself."

"Did he know that when he cast the spell?" Arthur asked him.

Gaius shrugged and replied:

"He probably did."

"Idiot," Arthur spat angrily, "he's just such an idiot. I told him to let me go…"

"Sire," Gaius said, "I trust you know Merlin would have never let you go. He'd rather chop his own arm."

"I know," Arthur said, "is just that…"

He stopped talking once more and then, he seemed to remember a vital piece of information:

"The dragon!"

"What dragon?" Gwen asked.

"There was a dragon," Arthur said, "it was the same dragon I fought here in Camelot. I thought I killed it…"

"Kilgharrah," Gaius supplied.

"What?" a stunned Arthur asked.

"The dragon's name is Kilgharrah," Gaius repeated, "he was trapped under the castle for many years."

"How do you know that?" Arthur asked him then, he changed his mind and said, "it doesn't matter. The dragon showed up just as Merlin was dying, it was furious at him for what he'd done."

"I'm sure he was," Gaius muttered.

Ignoring that, Arthur carried on:

"The beast said something weird, it said that Merlin's destiny was not to die in my place. In fact, he wasn't supposed to die at all. It said that Merlin was…well…that he was the last dragonlord," glancing at Gaius, he noticed that this wasn't news to the old man, "but you knew that…"

"Yes, I did," Gaius confirmed.

"Wait a moment," Gwen interrupted, "the last dragonlord was that old man, Balincor or..."

"Balinor," Gaius corrected, "yes he was the last dragonlord…before he passed his gift on…to his son."

It took a moment for the truth to dawn onto the royal couple but, once it did, they looked like someone had punched them on their stomachs. Gwen couldn't even speak so she left it to Arthur to ask:

"Did…he…did Merlin know that?"

"Yes," Gaius replied, "I informed him just before you two went on that mission to find him."

Once again, Arthur's whole world was shaken up and it took him a long while before he started understanding what had transpired. One thing was certain: it now made a lot of sense the reaction he'd seen Merlin have when those bandits had killed Balinor. No wonder the poor guy had bawled his eyes out.

And he had had the guts to tell him no man was worth his tears.

Arthur felt so sick he thought he would vomit. Instead, he steeled himself and said:

"Gaius, I know you're tired and I know this is the last thing you want to talk about but, I need to know."

"Sire?"

"Tell me everything," Arthur almost begged, "tell me everything Merlin's done and sacrificed for me."

"I don't think that's a good idea, My Lord," Gaius advised.

"I need to know," Arthur insisted, "please Gaius, I know I will never be at peace again but, at the very least, I need to acknowledge everything Merlin's ever done for me and for Camelot. Please, I owe him that much."

Gaius nodded and, shifting on the chair, he prepared for what he knew was going to be a very long night.

By morning, after carefully listening to everything the old man said, Arthur had grown resolute and, ignoring his tired body, he got up from the bed so suddenly he startled both Gwen and Gaius. The physician looked positively exhausted and this nearly made him reconsider but then, shaking his head, he glanced at his wife and said:

"Gwen, I know you must be tired but, I need you to gather the council at the main hall."

"Now?" the Queen asked him.

"Yes, please," Arthur insisted.

"What are you going to do?" Gaius asked him.

"I know you're tired too," the King said, blatantly ignoring the question, "but I need you to be there too."

With this, Arthur went to his desk and pulling a piece of parchment, he started scribbling on it furiously fast. Gwen and Gaius exchanged a confused look but, they both knew only one person could argue with Arthur when he was like that and, unfortunately, Merlin was no longer with them.

A few minutes later and after having checked on Gwaine, Gaius found himself sitting at the right of the King, the Queen was sitting at the King's left. They were surrounded by a bunch of sleepy looking knights.

"What's going on?" Leon whispered to Gwen.

The Queen simply shrugged her shoulders and they all waited for the King to start speaking.

"I gathered you all here today to do something I should have done a long time ago. As you know, my father banned magic based on the fact that its use had become too widespread and dangerous. While I still agree on the fact that magic is dangerous, its unchecked hatred can be equally so. For this reason, I have decided to pass a decree that will lift the ban of magic in all but two cases:"

As expected, there was a collective gasp of surprise but Arthur noticed that most of them seemed pleased.

"One, magic shan't be used to harm or manipulate others in any shape or form; two, magic shan't be used for personal or monetary gain, no exceptions. If any magic user is found to use magic for any of the above reasons, he or she will be executed. Is this understood?"

"YES, SIRE," they all shouted at once.

Arthur nodded and then he glanced at Gaius and said:

"I know you're the Court's Physician and your hands are full but, I know no one who has as much knowledge in the magic arts as you do. For this reason, I would like to ask you if you could become my Official Advisor."

Gaius took a moment to consider and, nodding once, he replied:

"I'll be happy to help in any way I can."

"Thank you," Arthur said then, speaking once more to his knights, he continued his speech "from now on, this new law will be called the Merlin Decree, make sure it gets spread throughout the Kingdom."

While he sat down, everyone nodded and repeatedly hit the table in wholehearted agreement.

"Wherever he is," Gwen said speaking only to him, "I'm sure Merlin is happy right now."

"I hope so," Arthur replied patting her hand.

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter Five

A/N: I'm still sick but this chapter practically wrote itself, I guess I was lucky. I hope you guys like it!

**Albion's New Age**

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**Chapter Five**

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Four weeks had gone by and Gwaine still needed a bloody walking stick to move about. He knew his fellow knights were being extra nice to him, so far, no one had mocked him because of it. Of course, it helped that Percival had threatened to use his massive axe on anyone who dared. To Gwaine's dismay, the big guy had taken it upon himself to help and protect Gwaine from basically everything.

He guessed he should be thankful, Gwaine thought while he climbed the stairs on the way to see Gaius. Not only he'd survived Morgana's torture but, also, he had managed to make it out of it with all four limbs, even if one of them refused to work properly. Some, Gwaine reminded himself darkly, had not been so lucky.

Merlin was one of them.

Knocking on the physician's chambers, he waited till he heard the old man's voice telling him to come in.

"Sir Gwaine," Gaius greeted him. He was smiling but the cheerfulness didn't quite make it to his eyes.

"How are you?" Gwaine asked him.

"I should be asking you this, you know?" Gaius said, his eyebrow lifting up.

"True," Gwaine conceded.

"Take a seat," Gaius instructed, "I'll be with you in a moment."

Gwaine nodded and, sitting on a nearby stool, he waited until the old man was done working on whichever potion he was concocting. He then heard some noise coming from what used to be Merlin's room.

"Is he there again?" he asked Gaius lowering his tone of voice.

"Yes," Gaius simply replied.

Gwaine bit his lower lip and, shaking his head, he voiced something he'd said many times before.

"It's my fault."

"Not this again," Gaius protested.

"But…"

"I've told you before," Gaius interrupted him, "you didn't even know you were taking Merlin to the Crystal Cave and if you hadn't done it, he wouldn't have got his magic back."

"Precisely," Gwaine argued stubbornly, "if he hadn't got it back…"

"None of us would be alive today," Gaius concluded, "and the castle would have become a Saxon fortress."

"But…"

Gaius shushed him with an impatient gesture of his hand and that made Gwaine shut his mouth. He knew the argument was a lost one for Gaius was right. But still, Gwaine couldn't help but to feel at least partially guilty for what had happened to Merlin. The poor guy had been so scared and it pained Gwaine to finally understand the reason why. Without his magic, Merlin had felt as defenceless as a newborn babe.

If only Merlin had felt safe enough to tell him the truth…

But Gwaine understood Merlin's reason to keep his magic a secret. Merlin had thought he would endanger anyone who knew about his gift and, rightly so. Save Gaius, practically anyone who had ever known about it had not lived to see another day. It was no surprise Merlin was so reluctant to share his secret.

Meanwhile, in Merlin's room, Arthur was once again sitting on top of what used to be his best friend's bed. He had found that being there, just sitting on that bed made him feel somewhat closer to Merlin and, when he had his head too full, he often came here to sort his thoughts out. Today, it was one of those days.

"Queen Annis is gravely ill," he announced. In his grasp he had the letter informing him of the bad news, "she's written me asking if I'm willing to take over Caerleon Kingdom. She has no issue and, with her death, it'll be the end of her line. I've already dispatched some of the best healers, even magical ones but they can do nothing to help her. I guess none of them are as powerful as you are, right?"

He looked around the room, as if he were expecting Merlin to be sitting somewhere there.

"I don't know what to do," Arthur continued, "Camelot's still recovering from the war against the Saxon and I don't think it wise to add yet another burden on our soldiers. They're already stretched as it is…"

Arthur remained quiet for a bit then, he laughed softly and said:

"I know what you'd say, Merlin. You're thinking I'm only making excuses…" he stopped talking and, taking a short breath he added, "Queen Annis has been a good friend and a powerful ally. You're right about that."

Getting up, he folded the letter and placed it inside the pocket of his breeches then, he said:

"I guess we owe her that much, don't we Merlin?"

He was about to walk out of the room, his mind already made up, when he caught a glimpse of something under the box Merlin had used as his desk. He lowered himself on his knees and then he saw it: it was one of Merlin's old neckerchiefs. It had been vivid red at some point but, now the colour had faded.

Arthur grabbed the tattered piece of cloth and he felt his eyes water with unshed tears. Without thinking, he pocketed the neckerchief, enjoying the touch of its surprisingly soft fibres. Taking a moment to pull himself together, he glanced around the room for one last time before he stepped out of it and into Gaius' quarters.

"Gwaine," he gasped.

"My Lord," the knight said.

"What are you doing here?" the King asked him, trying to recover from the shock as quickly as possible.

"Just getting a checkup," Gaius replied instead of the knight, "I trust you found what you were looking for?"

Arthur stared at the old man for a short while then, he nodded and said:

"Yes, I believe I have."

"That's all good then," Gaius said.

As the King walked out of the physician's chambers, Gwaine could not help but to see a tiny piece of red cloth peeking from Arthur's pocket. He would have recognised that anywhere and, before he could help himself, his lips curved up in a knowing smile. He was about to speak when Gaius nudged at him and said:

"Come on Gwaine get up here so I can check that leg of yours."

That night the full moon kept watch over a quiet castle. Its light was giving a soft glow inside the royal chambers where Arthur and Gwen rested. The Queen had never had trouble sleeping but, in these past few weeks, she'd been keeping an eye on her husband, knowing that the King was suffering from nightmares.

For this reason, she woke up immediately when Arthur sprang up on their bed, sweat covering his brow.

"Arthur, it was just a…"

The Queen didn't finish the sentence for the King just jumped out of bed looking like he was ready for battle.

"Arthur…"

"I have to go," he said sounding frantic and short of breath.

"What?" Gwen asked, "where…"

"I have to go now," the King insisted.

He was on his way to his cupboard to get his clothes when Gwen got out of bed too, trying to get her night gown on at the same time as she walked to her husband. She knew she had to be understanding but…

"…come on Arthur," she tried again, "be reasonable, where is it that you have to go?"

"The lake," the King said, he was fighting to get out of his night shirt, "please, help me, I must hurry."

"No," Gwen said crossing her arms onto her chest, "you cannot leave in the middle of the night."

"I have to!" he exclaimed, "please help me get dressed or I'll just go like this."

Gwen raised her eyebrows in surprise noticing her husband was still wearing his night shirt and very little else. Arthur stared at her as though waiting for her to start moving and, seeing this wasn't happening, he went to fetch his breeches and started trying to put them on top of his night shirt.

"Fine, alright," Gwen surrendered, "let me help you find a shirt, perhaps while we get you dressed you can tell me why you have to go to a lake right in the middle of the night."

"I can't say," Arthur said, "and don't ask. Please Guinevere; you've got to trust me."

Gwen stopped once again contemplating her options and was about to try to argue her point when she heard a knock on the door. She looked at her husband who appeared just a surprised as she was.

"Who is it?" Arthur asked.

"It's me, Gwaine."

"Wait a moment," Arthur commanded, he then grabbed a shirt Gwen had found and started trying to put it on. A few instants later, he walked barefoot to the door and, making sure Gwen was hidden from sight, he let Gwaine in, "what is it?"

"You heard her, didn't you?" the knight asked him.

"You…did you…"

"Yes," Gwaine replied, "we've got to hurry, Sire."

"Yes, I know," Arthur said, "but…"

"Don't even try it," Gwaine advised, "I'm coming with you, whether you want it or not."

"I am your King, you know?" Arthur objected.

"Yeah, and I'm Gwaine," the knight countered with his cheekiest grin.

The King smiled back and, nodding once, he said:

"Go and get the horses ready."

"Understood," Gwaine said.

In spite of Gwen's adamant protests, Arthur still managed to get dressed and, less than ten minutes later, he and Gwaine were riding out of Camelot, going as quickly as the horses could carry them. Arthur could not stop thinking of the dream he'd just had. The fact that Gwaine had had the very same dream…

He stopped himself right there for it was pointless to harbour hopes that could turn out to be false.

They arrived at the lake at the first light of dawn. Arthur had never seen such a beautiful landscape before. He dismounted first so he could help Gwaine get off his horse and, just as he was handing him his walking stick back, they two men heard the voice that had let them both here.

"You must hurry, there's no time."

Gwaine and Arthur looked around them hoping they'd see someone, something which would give them a clue. Arthur was about to shout back at the voice when Gwaine hit him with his walking stick.

"Ouch!" he complained.

"Look," Gwaine said.

Arthur glanced at the spot Gwaine was pointing at and, just there, in a small clear covered by leaves, he saw a creamy shape. It took him a moment to realise that it was the naked body of a youngster. He only moved towards it when he felt Gwaine walking past him but the King still made it there before his knight.

"Is he…"

Gwaine never finished his sentence for right then Arthur scream covered every other sound:

"MERLIN!"

_To be continued…_


	7. Chapter Six

A/N: Thanks for the get well wishes! Also many thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites. You rock!

**Albion's New Age**

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**Chapter Six**

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The shock froze both men for an instant then, reacting at the same time, they both dropped onto their knees one at each side of Merlin's body. The young man was all curled up so Arthur tried to turn him on his back, very carefully, as if he were handling the most precious thing. Merlin's face was dirty and, for some reason, looked younger than the last time Arthur had seen him but there was no doubt: it was Merlin.

"Give me your cloak," he instructed Gwaine while he removed his own.

"Here," the knight said.

Arthur used both garments to cover as much of Merlin's body as he could. He was trying to get the fabric around his shoulders when he heard some wheezing sound coming from Merlin's lips. He stopped moving and glanced at Gwaine. The other man had also heard it and the both returned their attention to Merlin's face.

"What is it Merlin?" Arthur couldn't help but to ask.

"What are you trying to tell us?" Gwaine added.

Merlin's lips moved once again, the sound wasn't much stronger but they still managed to hear it.

"Fre…ya."

"Who's Freya?" Arthur asked Gwaine.

"No idea," the knight replied.

Merlin started coughing quite violently, as if his lungs weren't getting enough air. Alarmed, Arthur tried to get him to sit up. This seemed to work and the cough stopped as suddenly as it had started. Merlin's head lolled down to his chest and that was all Arthur needed to start moving once more.

"We've got to get him to Camelot," the King said.

Without waiting for Gwaine to get up, Arthur took Merlin in his arms, trying to get the cloak around him as best as he could. Slowed down by the extra weight, Arthur made it to his horse after Gwaine who, grabbing the horse's rein, steadied the beautiful animal, allowing Arthur to get Merlin's unconscious body on top of it.

After helping Gwaine get on his own horse, the two men started riding back to Camelot as fast as they dared. Arthur kept one of his hands firmly on top of Merlin's back, as much to reassure himself that his best friend was indeed there as to ensure the young man would not slide down to the ground.

Arthur's mind and heart were invaded by a whirl of thoughts and feelings and by the time he saw the outline of his castle, he had come to the conclusion he was so happy to have Merlin back he just didn't care about anything else. He felt his lips curving into the sort of smile he thought would never grace his face again.

"We're almost home," he whispered to Merlin.

The two riders arrived at the castle's front entrance at almost midday so it was unsurprising to find quite a few people such as townspeople, soldiers and merchants wandering around the place and Arthur found himself wishing he could order them all to leave so that they would stop staring at Merlin. Instead, he dismounted his horse as soon as it stopped at the bottom of the flight of stairs that led to the royal residence.

He was getting Merlin off the horse when he heard a loud gasp. Turning his eyes briefly up, he found his wife there, looking so petrified she had forgot to put her foot down on the step beneath her.

"Ar…" she started, her voice obviously failing her.

"Find Gaius," the King asked her.

Gwen nodded and, fighting to recover her poise, she shook her head once before she went to comply with her husband's request. In the meantime, Percival and Leon had joined them and while Percival helped Gwaine get off his horse, Leon tried to be useful by helping Arthur with Merlin's unconscious frame.

"I can manage," the King said refusing his help, "just get the door."

Leon nodded once and, hurrying up the stairs, he pushed the guards out of the way so he could fully open the castle's massive door. He then made sure that there would be no obstacles for Arthur on their way to Gaius' apartments.

"No," Arthur said seeing where Leon was guiding them, "we're taking him to my chambers."

"But, Sire…" Leon tried to protest.

"Arthur," Gwaine intervened, "it's better if we take him to Gaius, he's got all the supplies he needs there."

Arthur stopped for half a second, considering carefully his options then, nodding to Gwaine, he said:

"You're right."

As the King started making his way to Gaius, Leon mouthed a "thank you" to Gwaine who just grinned at him. The knight was so happy he felt very little pain in his leg, for this reason, he managed to keep up with the King as they all rushed towards the physician's quarters.

There, they found Gwen who was trying to convince Gaius she had not gone mad and that she did not need any calming draught. The old man was only persuaded she was telling the truth when Arthur showed up.

"Merlin!" Gaius screamed, "I can't believe it!"

"Please Gaius," Arthur said, "we found him unconscious, he needs your help."

"Put him in there," Gaius asked pointing at his sleeping pallet.

The three knights and the Queen watched all in silence while, with the utmost care, Arthur placed Merlin on top of Gaius' bed. They thanked the stars the old man was first and foremost a professional for that allowed the physician to concentrate on what he was doing, temporarily forgetting what had just happened.

Arthur stared at the proceedings, his apprehension mounting to an indecent level. He was about to speak when Gaius left his working tools on top of a tray and placed his hand on top of Merlin's forehead.

"Is he okay?" the King managed to ask.

"As far as I can tell," Gaius replied, "there's nothing wrong with him."

A collective sigh of relief was heard in the room.

"Why is he unconscious?" Gwaine dared to ask.

"I don't know," Gaius replied honestly.

"How is he…" Gwen started then, she bit her lower lip and tried again, "how is he alive?"

Everyone stared at her first then, they all glanced at the physician who appeared to be just as clueless.

"I don't know," Gaius repeated, "Merlin's never been a normal person…"

"Hey," Arthur warned him.

"…he's never lived by any normal standards," Gaius carried on, obviously ignoring the King's objections, "even for a magical being, his life has been marked by anomalies. His magic was something that had never been seen before. Even powerful magic users from the Old Religion needed years of studies to master the use of a portion of magic, Merlin could freely use all magic at an instinctive level even before he was able to talk."

"What are you saying?" Leon asked.

"I'm saying this is Merlin," Gaius said shrugging his shoulders, "anything can happen with him."

"Who cares?" Arthur finally said, "he's here and that's all that matters to me."

"Arthur…"

"Guinevere," Arthur interrupted her, "I don't care what happened, I don't care what made this possible, as far as I'm concerned, this is a miracle. I'm just too grateful I've got Merlin back to think about anything else."

With this, he removed his sword, placed it on top of the table and, grabbing a nearby stool, he sat next to the bed. He then moved to grasp a few blankets and as though he had forgot about the other people in the room he started covering Merlin's body making sure he was properly tucked in.

"Arthur," Gwen said using her gentlest tone of voice, "shouldn't you go and get something to eat?"

"No," Arthur replied, "I'm not hungry."

"Sire," Gaius said, "you should get something to eat, I'll watch over him."

"No," Arthur repeated, "I'm not moving from here. That's that."

The three knights looked at Gaius and then at Gwen who, shaking her head, just smiled and said:

"Let's go then."

"My Lady," Gwaine said, "with your permission, I would also like to stay here."

"Of course," Gwen agreed, "please send for me as soon as he wakes up, okay?"

"Yes, My Lady," Gwaine replied offering her a curtsy.

Gwen smiled at the knight and, before stepping out of the room, she glanced once more at her husband. The sight of his happy face made her smile grow and she felt a tug in her heart for she had feared she would never see again the way Arthur's light blue eyes shine as they did now.

Silently, the Queen sent a prayer asking for Merlin's prompt recovery.

While Arthur sat by Merlin's side, Gaius checked on Gwaine's leg, finding that the knight had overstrained the poor thing. He started removing the bandage that kept the knee in position when Gwaine said:

"Gaius, who is Freya?"

"Where did you hear that name?" Gaius asked.

"We heard it from Merlin," Arthur replied instead of him.

"When we found him," Gwaine elaborated, "he whispered that name. He then got a fit of cough and fainted."

Gaius remained quiet for a bit then, he glanced at the two younger men and said:

"Freya was the name of the only girl Merlin's ever loved."

Arthur's eyebrows shot up in astonishment while Gwaine had to steady himself on top of the table.

"Merlin's been in love?" the knight somehow managed to ask, surprise obvious in his voice.

"Yes," Gaius replied.

"What happened to her?" Arthur asked with genuine curiosity.

"She died," Gaius replied, "it happened many years ago but Merlin's never allowed himself to love another."

Swallowing hard, Arthur returned his attention to his best friend. While he looked at Merlin's closed eyes, he wondered just how many things he had never known about him. Without thinking, he moved his hand on top of Merlin's chest and promised himself he would make the most out of this second chance.

This time, he'd get to know the real Merlin.

He hadn't even finished this thought when he noticed Merlin's eyelashes fluttering ever so slightly. He looked more closely and he saw that the young man was trying to open his eyes. Arthur's heart started beating so hard he thought he would die from the sheer trepidation and for a whole minute, he forgot to breathe.

"Gaius," Gwaine's voice resonated in the room, "he's…"

The three men rushed to Merlin's side and, just then, Merlin revealed his beautiful dark blue eyes.

"Merlin!" Arthur almost chocked with joy.

"Merlin!" Gaius and Gwaine joined in.

"Merlin," the King repeated grasping his left hand in between his own, "it's so good to see you!"

The young warlock stared at the three men with a bewildered expression on his face. They all watched him trying to speak but at first he failed to produce any sounds. Gaius was going to tell him not to force himself when, after coughing a couple of times, Merlin looked at them once again and with the smallest voice he said:

"Who is Merlin?"

_To be continued…_


	8. Chapter Seven

**Albion's New Age**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

The silence that fell upon the room was louder than a cannon shot and while Arthur and Gwaine stared at Gaius, the old man raked his brain as to what he could say to Merlin who still waited for an answer.

"Merlin is your name," the physician finally replied.

"Oh," the young man said, he frowned and added, "I can't remember."

"What can you remember?" Gaius enquired.

Merlin glanced at the two other men in the room, then he looked around the room itself, as if he were trying to find something that would give him a clue then, he returned his gaze to Gaius and shook his head once.

"Nothing," the young warlock said, his panic slowly becoming evident, "I can't remember anything!"

"It's alright," Gaius hurried to say, placing his hand on top of Merlin's shoulders, hoping to calm him down.

"But…"

"It's fine," Arthur finally intervened, "I'm sure it's just temporary, right Gaius?"

"Probably," the physician replied trying to sound confident.

Merlin didn't look too convinced but he didn't want to start an argument with strangers so, he just nodded.

"See?" Arthur said smiling, "I'm Arthur, by the way. He's Gwaine and this is Gaius, he's your guardian."

"Are you hungry?" Gwaine asked him, "I'm sure you must be…"

Merlin nodded once more. He then grinned and said:

"I'm starving."

"Good," Gwaine said, he lowered the leg of his trousers and, grabbing his walking stick, he said, "I'll go and fetch you something from the kitchens. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

Merlin smiled and shook his head.

As soon as the knight walked out of the room, Gaius had an idea. Getting up from the stool, he went to one of his many bookshelves and, from the very bottom of it, he retrieved something he had sworn he'd never touch again: Merlin's magic book. When he returned, he found Arthur and Merlin just staring at each other.

The awkwardness was tangible.

"Merlin," Gaius said offering him the book, "do you recognise this?"

Arthur observed the book with interest while Merlin just gave it a quick glance before dropping his eyes to his lap. The physician found this strange so, he went to place the book on top of Merlin's legs when, for some odd reason, the young man reacted as though as the book was made of something poisonous.

"Merlin!" Gaius exclaimed, "it's fine, it's just a book, I…"

"Get it away from me!" the young man shrieked in full panic.

Arthur snatched the book from Gaius throwing it unceremoniously on top of the nearest table. He then returned his attention to Merlin and, sitting by his side, he grabbed both of his hands and started talking to him in a soothing manner:

"Merlin, it's fine, no one is going to hurt you, I promise."

Merlin's jagged breathing started becoming more regular almost immediately.

"You're safe," Arthur continued, "you've got nothing to fear, no one here wants to make you suffer, okay?"

He said that to Merlin but Gaius was shrewd enough to understand Arthur was also ordering Gaius not to do anything that might upset Merlin. For this reason, he retrieved the book and, after checking it was undamaged, he covered it once again in its cloth before putting it away. While he walked back to Merlin's side, his mind started harbouring doubts: what if the Merlin he had in his room wasn't the real Merlin?

Two days later, taking the chance Arthur had been called to resolve a state matter and thus been forced to leave Merlin's side for a bit, Gaius enlisted Gwaine to help him with an experiment. The knight stepped into the physician's quarters looking like he was quite curious about the whole thing.

"So, what are we going to do?" Gwaine asked him.

"Lower your voice," Gaius instructed him pointing at Merlin's room. The young man had just moved back into it and Gaius wasn't sure whether his charge was sleeping or not, "it's best if we talk about this outside."

The knight followed the old man out of the chambers and, as soon as they were far enough, Gaius said:

"What I'm about to say must be kept a secret from everyone."

"Including Arthur?" Gwaine asked him.

"Especially Arthur," Gaius replied firmly.

"Oh, okay," Gwaine replied. His smile was gone and it got replaced by a worried frown, "what is it then?"

"I'm concerned about Merlin," Gaius said.

"Yes, me too," Gwaine confirmed, "I know after what he's been through we can't expect him to be the same but, there's something about him that…I don't know how to explain it."

"I do," Gaius replied, "and, to be honest, I'd rather burn at the stake than speaking of it out loud."

"What is it?" Gwaine asked.

Gaius took a deep breath as if he needed to prepare himself to utter his suspicions.

"I think Merlin might be a Shade."

"A what?" Gwaine asked.

"A Shade," Gaius repeated, "it's the product of one of the darkest forms of magic: necromancy."

"Wait," Gwaine said, "are you trying to suggest Merlin's been brought back from his grave?"

Gaius forced himself to nod.

"It can't be," Gwaine protested, "it just can't! Arthur himself said that Merlin hadn't left a body to bury and you told us that with Merlin anything was possible. Maybe he…I don't know, maybe he reincarnated or something like that. Gaius, come on, there must be a different explanation!"

"I want to believe that more than anything," Gaius said tiredly, "believe me there's no one who hates this more than I do. But I have seen this happening before and we cannot be certain until we check."

"How are we going to do that?" Gwaine asked, still clearly rejecting the idea.

"Merlin once found a spell, it required a very powerful incantation," Gaius explained, "to be honest, I'm not even sure I have the power to pull it off but, we cannot ask anyone to help. No one must know of this."

"Of course not," Gwaine agreed, "how can I help?"

"You need to go into Merlin's room, if he's awake, you need to keep him distracted," Gaius said.

"Okay," Gwaine said, "that should be easy."

"I'll get everything ready and, when the time comes, I will call you both," Gaius said, "you need to make sure Merlin walks over a determinate path across the room and, when he does, you need to keep an eye on him."

"What am I looking for?" Gwaine asked.

"Anything out of the ordinary," Gaius replied.

"Let's hope I see nothing then," Gwaine said.

"Yes, let's hope so," Gaius wholeheartedly agreed.

A few moments later and while he heard Gwaine engaging Merlin in a trivial conversation about the many taverns he'd visited in his lifetime, Gaius took the bowl of silver paint he'd prepared and, kneeling on the cold stone floor, he started drawing the pentacle he'd found on the book "_The Art of Necromancy_". He checked it several times to make sure he hadn't made any mistakes and once completed, he placed his hands over it and, trying to focus all his magic onto it, he chanted the incantation:

"_Onluc þa soþan treow_!"

At first, nothing happened. He tried again and again until, at long last, he felt the spell reacting to his magic and then, to his surprise, the entire pentagram lit up in a golden glow that gave him the shrills. It stopped as suddenly as it had started and then the silver paint reappeared briefly, only to merge itself with the floor.

It was ready.

Getting up, he wiped his brow and found he needed to steady himself against the wall. The spell had consumed such a large quantity of energy he felt faint. To think that Merlin could do this without even breaking a sweat amazed him, as well as made him a little jealous of the young warlock's immense power.

Having recovered just enough, Gaius went to his desk where he pretended to be working on something then, following the plan, he called both Gwaine and Merlin out of the room with the excuse that he needed help with something. The knight went down the short flight of stairs first, followed by Merlin.

Gaius noticed that Gwaine was going a lot slower than he really could, giving him time to point with his eyes the spot where Merlin had to walk on. Gwaine acknowledged the instruction and as soon as Merlin joined him at the bottom of the stairs, he offered him his arm and said:

"Help an old friend, will you?"

"What about your walking stick?" Merlin asked him.

"My leg's very painful today," Gwaine lied.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Merlin said taking Gwaine's arm as though the knight was an old man.

Merlin's concerned look made both men feel a little guilty but, soon, the importance of the mission made them forget about it. Gwaine took a slightly longer route towards Gaius" table and, just as Merlin stepped onto the pentagram, both the knight and the physician found themselves holding their breath.

"Why are you stopping?" Merlin asked Gwaine.

The knight stared at Merlin intently. The young warlock was standing right on top of the pentagram and, as far as he could tell, there was nothing wrong with him. Gaius also stared at Merlin and, just then, he smiled.

"Come here my boy," Gaius said dropping a bowl onto the table. He rushed to Merlin's side and, hugging him tightly, he said, "I'm so sorry to have doubted you for an instant. You're my boy and you always will be."

Merlin returned the hug feeling too confused to even think of what was happening. Gwaine, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief and, patting Merlin's shoulder, he decided to join in for a group hug.

"It's good to have you back," the knight said smiling happily.

That night while Gaius slept peacefully for the first time in a month, Merlin was having trouble sleeping. For a man without memories, his mind was surprisingly busy and he couldn't help but to obsess about every detail of what had happened to him ever since waking up. He knew by now that he was safe there and that the few people he'd met so far were all friends. He felt particularly safe with Gaius but he didn't know why.

Gwaine was also fun to be with and the man seemed to behave with him as if nothing had ever happened.

The one that puzzled him the most was Arthur. Merlin had been shocked to find that the man was the King of the country where they all lived. The fact that such an important man claimed to have been best friends with him made Merlin feel very confused. Who was he to deserve such an honour? And, more importantly, why did he feel the instinct to be on guard whenever Arthur was around?

Knowing he would not find an answer to those questions anytime soon, he decided to turn in for the night and, lifting his head towards the sole candle which still lit the room, he blew it out and went to sleep.

He had just closed his eyes when he felt something burning in them.

Alarmed, Merlin re-opened them and, to his shock, he saw it:

The candle had lit itself again.

_To be continued…_


	9. Chapter Eight

A/N: Thank you. Just thank you for your continued support. It means the world to me! ^_^

**Albion's New Age**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

A few days later, Gaius was perusing an ancient book he and Geoffrey had found at the very back of the Royal Library when he heard a soft knock on his door. He didn't need to hear the voice to know who it was.

"Please, come in," he asked politely.

"Gaius," the Queen said stepping into the room, she scanned it briefly before adding, "Merlin isn't here."

"No, My Lady," Gaius replied setting his reading glasses down, using them as a bookmark, "Arthur came to pick him up about an hour ago. The King said he was taking Merlin out but he didn't mention where."

"They've gone to Ealdor," Gwen announced, looking a little frustrated.

"Oh," was all Gaius contributed with.

"You didn't know about this trip, did you?" the Queen asked him.

He could tell she wasn't accusing him so he shook his head and said:

"I knew Arthur was planning on sending a message to Hunith, at least that's what he told me."

"Well," Gwen said, "it looks like he's changed his mind and has decided to take Merlin with him."

"They're on their own?" Gaius asked, now feeling the same concern that transpired from the Queen's voice.

"No," Gwen replied, "thankfully Arthur was smart enough to take half a dozen soldiers with him but just that. No knights." She stopped speaking, as if she was trying to calm herself then, she continued, "he should know better than to go alone across the country. He's also putting Merlin at risk and…" she stopped again and hurried to add, "I don't mean to worry you or anything is just that…well…Merlin…"

"…he's pretty much defenseless," Gaius finished for her.

"I don't know what Arthur is thinking," Gwen said, "I sometimes wonder if he understands who he is."

Gaius smiled a little and, patting her hand, he said:

"Kings have this thing of believing they're indestructible and after everything Arthur's been through…"

"That's precisely my point," Gwen argued, "he survived everything because Merlin was there and he could help with his magic. We don't even know if Merlin still has his magic, do we?"

"About that," Gaius said pointing at what looked like a broken terracotta vase, "that's the result of this morning's test."

"What test?" Gwen asked him.

"Every morning I do something hoping it will force Merlin to use his magic," Gaius explained, "this morning I dropped that right in front of him but all he did was stare at it and ask me if I had a problem with my grip."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Gaius replied, "I think he's getting worried about me because the other day I dropped a cup full of water on top of his head. He took it quite graciously but I don't think I can use that method again."

"I think we should tell him about it," Gwen suggested, "maybe if he knows about his magic..."

"I tried that too," Gaius told her, "when I implied he could do something to stop these things from happening, he denied it got really upset and asked me if I could please stop talking about magic."

"Wow," Gwen gasped. She then said, "what do you think it's happening to him?"

"I really don't know," Gaius replied, "the thing is, the only one who could tell us is Kilgharrah."

"The dragon?" she asked.

"Yes," Gaius confirmed, "but who knows where he is? The only one who can summon him is Merlin but…"

"…he doesn't even know he can," Gwen finished for him.

"Exactly," Gaius said, "so I'm looking into everything there's to know about memory loss, to see if I can help."

"Good luck with that," Gwen wished offering him an encouraging smile.

"Thanks," he replied.

"I'll leave you to your reading then," she added, "meanwhile I'll go and pray for their safe return."

Gaius just nodded and mentally added that, knowing that pair of rascals, praying would definitely be needed.

A few miles from Camelot, the pair of rascals were riding to Ealdor, followed by six tense looking soldiers. The six men weren't nervous they were accompanying their King on a private journey for they all felt immensely proud of having been personally handpicked by His Majesty himself.

They were more than a little anxious about the young man who travelled with him. By now, most citizens of Camelot knew about Merlin and what he had done for their Kingdom. They knew that he could possibly be the most powerful wizard of all times and, in spite of the fact that magic was now legal, mainly because of Merlin himself, they were still slightly concerned about that _unimportant_ detail of Merlin having been dead.

Hearing the man engaged in a jovial conversation with their King was definitely unsettling.

"Say Merlin," they heard their King say, "I've had an idea."

"What is it?" Merlin asked Arthur.

"I know we're heading pretty much the opposite direction but, I just thought we could visit somewhere."

"Oh," Merlin gasped, "what sort of place?" he then asked.

"It's just a place you used to like," Arthur answered, "maybe you'll find yourself at peace there."

Merlin frowned a little but then, he nodded and said:

"If you think it's a good idea, then I'll trust your judgment."

Arthur's eyebrows shot up in astonishment but he fought to hide his surprise. Instead, he just turned round and informed the soldiers they were changing route. He then glanced at Merlin and, smiling at him, he said:

"I'll race you!"

"I don't think that's wise, My Lord," Merlin said a little too politely.

"Why not?" Arthur asked sounding hopeful. Maybe there was a bit of the old Merlin somewhere who would tell him how a race was not safe in the middle of a possibly bandit-infested forest or something similar…

"I don't know where we're going," Merlin said instead, "I might get lost."

Arthur's smile faltered a bit and he decided to try and laugh it off:

"It was just kidding."

"I'm sorry I failed to understand, Sire," Merlin replied seriously.

This time, the King's smile just left his features. He frowned and, for the umpteenth time since Merlin's return, he fought the notion that there was something severely wrong with his best friend. Well, he _knew_ there was something wrong with Merlin but it was getting harder and harder to keep up the charade that everything was alright. The truth was that he just wanted Merlin to stop suffering and be happy.

The King hoped that, by going to the Grove of Brineved he would achieve just that.

After camping for the night, Arthur busied himself trying to light the fire while Merlin watched.

"Would you like to help?" the King asked him.

"Of course," Merlin replied and, getting closer, the young man went to grab the firing stone from Arthur's grasp. The King refused to relinquish it, pocketing it instead. This made Merlin look at him in confusion.

"You don't need tools to light a fire," Arthur said.

Merlin's frown deepened and, for a fleeting moment, it appeared as if he was very afraid of something.

"Are you joking again, My Lord?" Merlin dared to ask.

Arthur took a couple of seconds to reply and when he did, he sounded very serious:

"What if I'm not?"

His reaction made Arthur feel as if he'd been stabbed again. Looking incredibly upset and deeply troubled, Merlin just got up and started walking away from him making it obvious to Arthur he'd gone too far.

"Merlin!" he shouted while running after him, "I'm sorry, it was just like you said, I was kidding."

Merlin stopped and, without turning to face him, he spoke with a strained tone of voice:

"Please Sire, don't tease me like that, I don't like it."

Arthur grew solemn and, closing the distance between the two, he grabbed Merlin's shoulder and used that to turn him around. He felt shock when he noticed the tears that threatened to fall from Merlin's blue eyes.

"I'm sorry," Arthur repeated softly, "I won't do it again."

Merlin could only bring himself to nod.

The rest of the trip continued without incident but, every now and then, Arthur checked on Merlin, each time finding his best friend more and more distant. It was as if Merlin had locked himself in his safe place and had decided to remain there for as long as they were away from Camelot. The King had never been more desperate to help Merlin and, once again, he placed his hopes on the sacred place they were about to visit.

"We'll dismount here and make the rest of the way on foot," Arthur informed everyone.

Merlin got off his horse obediently handing the reins to the bravest one of the six soldiers.

"Two of you," Arthur said to them, "will stay here looking after the horses, the rest will come with us."

Too busy watching Merlin, the King failed to notice the rushed contest to earn the right to stay with the horses. He also didn't see how the two lucky winners hurried to fulfil their duties sporting a relieved smile.

"Let's go," Arthur said to Merlin.

"Okay," the young man said sounding unsure.

"You'll love this place, trust me," Arthur promised him.

Merlin didn't say anything and, instead, he proceeded to follow his King to wherever it was he was taking him. Not losing heart, Arthur increased his pace, wanting to make it to the Grove in time for their lunch.

The party of six had just entered the forest of Brekfar when Arthur noticed Merlin's complexion had become even paler than usual. Wondering if they were walking too fast, he slowed down a little and made sure the soldiers did the same. This gave him more time to observe Merlin more closely: he looked positively scared.

"There's nothing to worry," Arthur said as lightly as he could, "this forest is safe."

Merlin didn't even reply.

"Besides," Arthur tried again, "you're with me. I'll make sure nothing happens to you, okay?"

Once more, Merlin remained silent but, this time, he tried offering Arthur a weak smile.

"Good," Arthur said deciding to settle for that.

They had been walking for nearly two hours when they finally reached the Grove of Brineved. Arthur was going to order everyone to remove their swords as a sign of respect when he saw Merlin's pained expression.

"Merlin," he asked, "are you okay?"

Merlin dropped into his knees holding his head as if it were threatening to explode.

"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed rushing down to his side, "what's wrong?"

"It's too loud," Merlin spoke as though as he was in physical pain.

"What's too loud?" Arthur asked.

"This place," the young man moaned, "it's too loud, it's hurting me, please make it stop!"

"But Merlin," Arthur started, "you liked this place; you said you felt everything here was so much more..."

"Stop it!" Merlin exclaimed in tears, "I don't like it here, it's too loud…make it stop…"

Arthur grabbed his face in between his hands and lifted it up. The amount of pain and sheer terror he saw in his eyes reminded him of the last memory he had of Merlin right before he died. Panic filled up his heart.

"Okay," he hurried to say, "we're leaving right now."

"What's wrong with me?" Merlin begged him, "please tell me."

"I don't know," a heartbroken Arthur replied, "but I promise you we will find out. Together."

_To be continued…_


	10. Chapter Nine

A/N: I'm finally starting to feel better! Yay! Also, to those who are following this, please let me know what you think, ok? To the reviewers, massive thanks for your kind words!

**Albion's New Age**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

It had taken them several days to reach the border with Cendred's Kingdom, leaving the White Mountains way behind and bypassing the City of Camelot around the north route. Merlin had spent most of the journey trying to recover from the ordeal he'd suffered at the Grove of Brineved and regain a little serenity.

"We should start looking for somewhere to camp," Arthur informed him and the soldiers, "we're not far from Ealdor but it's going to get dark soon and I would prefer not to cross the border during the night."

"As you wish," Merlin said.

Half an hour later, they found a large enough clear right next to a stream and, while the soldiers tended to the horses and Arthur busied himself securing the area, from a corner of his eye he saw Merlin making his way to the water, taking a handful of water bags with him. He smiled briefly before continuing his own work.

When he finished, he ordered the soldiers to collect a few stones to delimit the fireplace and, once that was done, he sent three of them hunting for their dinner. Arthur wished he could go with them for he did love to hunt, however, he was worried that Merlin had not yet returned from his trip to the stream.

Nearing the water, Arthur saw his best friend sitting on a flat rock, deep in thought and staring into the distance. Not wanting to startle him, Arthur cleared his throat to let Merlin know he wasn't alone.

"Hey," Arthur said jovially, "do you need a hand?"

Merlin shook his head a couple of times.

"No, I'm fine," he replied pointing at a small pile of full water bags which he'd placed right next to him.

"Oh," Arthur said, "I was just wondering where you'd gone…"

"I'm sorry," Merlin interrupted him, "I just lost track of time, I…"

He tried to get up from his seat but Arthur stopped him.

"Stay there," the King asked, he sat down on a nearby stone and said, "I've been meaning to talk to you."

Merlin didn't say anything to that but Arthur was happy to see he had his full attention.

"You know," he started, "I think I know what happened to you back at the Grove of Brineved."

The young man's face winced probably recalling the pain but Arthur chose to ignore that and continued:

"I know you don't remember but, not long ago, when you still had your memories, we visited that area. We were camped not far from the sacred spring at Caerlanrigh. This spring is the source of the pool used by the Disir, the representatives of The Triple Goddess. The whole place is supposed to be charged with magic."

Merlin's reaction to the word was just as negative as Arthur expected it.

"Merlin," he carried on nevertheless, "I now understand that the reason magic users feel everything so vividly is because their magic connects to the place, I don't presume to know what that must feel like but…"

"It was horrible," Merlin spat angrily, "I hated it there."

"You hate it now," Arthur accepted, "but you were in awe back then. It amazed me to see you…so alive."

Once again, Merlin remained silent, forcing the King to speak again:

"Merlin, I promised you I would help you figure out what's happening to you, didn't I?"

The young man just nodded once.

"Well, then you'll have to trust me," Arthur said matter-of-factly, "I've been advised against this but I think it's necessary that you know this: you have magic, some say that you're the most powerful warlock to ever…"

"NO!" Merlin exclaimed getting up all of a sudden, "I don't want that!"

"Why not?" Arthur asked him also rising from his seat.

"I…" Merlin started, "I just don't like it…it's…I…it's just wrong!"

Arthur felt as if he'd been slapped. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on top of Merlin's shoulder.

"Merlin, magic is not wrong," he said, "you're the one who taught me that."

"I just want to be normal," Merlin sounded so desperately sad that it made Arthur cringe.

Pausing for a moment, he said something he would never thought he'd say out loud:

"Merlin, you're not normal, you will never be."

"Why?" Merlin asked.

"Because you're a sorcerer," Arthur replied, "you have abilities many men would kill for. Merlin, you saved my life so many times with your magic and, you even brought me back from death itself with it."

"What?"

"You heard me," Arthur said, "I was dead and then you brought me back with your magic. What you did was so potent that it killed you but, for some reason, I don't even care what, you managed to come back to us."

Merlin looked positively astonished but Arthur knew he couldn't leave it at that if he wanted to reach him.

"Merlin, you have magic and I accept that because I care about you," his voice broke with emotion but he forced himself to finish off, "you're the only friend I've ever had and I truly cannot bear to see you suffer."

"Arthur…"

"Please," the King said, "just think about what I said, okay?"

Merlin seemed to consider it for a moment then, he nodded and said:

"I will."

"Good," Arthur said feeling quite satisfied with his work, then he smirked and said, "please, this conversation we've just had, let's keep it to ourselves. I am the King and I have a reputation to maintain, understood?"

Merlin smiled for the first time in days and, nodding once, he said:

"You have my word."

"Perfect," the King said. As an afterthought, he added, "listen, I've been wondering if perchance you still remember how to cook? That Brent chap, he's an awesome soldier but his cooking is appallingly bad."

"I'll see what I can do," Merlin promised.

Thankfully for them, it looked like Merlin's cooking abilities were instinctive and, after being treated to the best meal they'd had in over a week, the soldiers started regarding the young man under a different light and, when the morning after they woke up to an even more delicious breakfast, they were won over for life.

"Merlin," Arthur said gulfing down some raspberries, "that was great."

"I'm glad you liked it," Merlin said returning the smile.

With that sort of positive atmosphere, they cleared up their camp and soon enough they were on their way to Ealdor. Arthur was pleased to see Merlin looking significantly more at ease as if he had finally allowed himself to relax. It really was a big improvement and he was sure that things were only going to get better.

They crossed the border about an hour later. Ealdor lay just a few more miles ahead and although everything was proceeding without any problems, Arthur knew better than to let his guard down: bandits or, even worse, enemy soldiers could be waiting for them at every turn, ready to ambush them.

"Keep alert," he instructed the two soldiers who rode ahead of them.

"Yes, Sire," they said.

Arthur turned round to check on the soldiers at his back when he felt his horse get on his back hooves. Panicking, he barely had time to try and tighten his grasp on the reins when he felt himself violently propelled off his horse. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for the fall, praying he would not break his neck.

That never happened.

The King felt himself floating mid-air. He was then lowered down to the ground with the most tender care.

Surprised, he opened his eyes and looked around himself wildly, trying to figure out what had happened. He then noticed the equally stunned expression on the faces of the six soldiers and the even more astounded one sported by Merlin who, for some odd reason, had one of his palms extended towards Arthur himself.

Then something clicked and Arthur understood everything.

Chuckling, he got up and removing the dust from his chainmail, he glanced at Merlin and said:

"I should have known."

Merlin went to stare at his own hand looking positively terrified of what he'd done.

"I'm sorry, I…I don't know what happened, I just…"

"I'll tell you what happened," Arthur interrupted him, "you saved my life, _again_."

The soldiers gasped in unison and their stunned expressions transformed into amazed ones. They could not help but to gaze at Merlin in awe and, for the first time they understood why their King was so fond of him.

Arthur was about to get back on his horse when, at a distance, he heard a somewhat familiar flapping sound.

Looking up at the sky, he saw a small speck grow into a magnificent thirty foot red dragon.

The soldiers went into a panic and started scrambling, trying to run away as fast as they could.

"Stay right here," their King ordered them, "all of you," he added glancing at a freaked out Merlin.

"What's _that_?" the poor man managed to ask.

"Don't say _that_," Arthur advised feeling rather amused, "you'll hurt his feelings."

Kilgharrah landed just as everyone had dismounted from their horses. Arthur noted that, strangely enough, the animals weren't frightened of the dragon, in fact, they seemed to be quite undisturbed by his presence.

"Merlin," the beast roared, imprinting infinite love in just one word.

"It speaks!" the young man exclaimed, looking at Arthur in bewilderment.

"Of course I speak," Kilgharrah said now looking a little concerned.

"Er…" Arthur intervened, "I don't know how to say this but…"

"You don't need to," the dragon interrupted him, Arthur tried not to take the disdain he heard personally, "I can tell what's happened to him," he added. Speaking to Merlin, he said, "you have lost your memories."

"How do you know that?" Merlin bravely dared to ask.

Kilgharrah let out a soft laugh and said:

"But I see you haven't lost yourself."

While he listened to the conversation, Arthur noticed that the dragon was looking incredibly frail. He was very far from being an expert but it was easy to tell the flight there had pretty much worn out the poor thing.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked Kilgharrah.

The beast just ignored the question and, instead, he kept his eyes on Merlin.

"I should have known you'd return, old friend."

"Why did I come back?" Merlin asked.

"You're the last dragonlord," Kilgharrah replied, "your life force is tied with ours."

"What does that mean?" Merlin asked.

"It means, young warlock," Kilgharrah explained, "that while your kin lives, you cannot die."

"Are you saying I'm immortal?" Merlin asked clearly in disbelief.

"In a way, yes," Kilgharrah replied.

"Wow," Arthur gasped, "that's handy."

He regretted his comment when he noticed the weird looks he got from both Merlin and Kilgharrah.

"Sorry," he muttered, "please carry on."

"Merlin," the dragon continued, "I have little time left. But I can do one last thing for you."

"What is it?" Merlin asked curiously.

"This," Kilgharrah said then, without offering any further explanation, the dragon took a deep breath and, from his enormous mouth, he started pouring some shimmering substance right on top of Merlin's head. An instant later and to Arthur's horror, the young man fainted collapsing onto the ground.

_To be continued…_


	11. Chapter Ten

A/N: Is this a fast enough update? ^_^

**Albion's New Age**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

Kneeling next to Merlin, Arthur lifted his head up so that he could ask Kilgharrah what he'd done to him when he noticed that something was happening to the dragon too. His scales had become several shades lighter and the dragon himself seemed to be fading away. Alarmed by the sight, Arthur asked him:

"What's wrong?"

Kilgharrah looked at him with an indescribable emotion in those huge yellow eyes.

"Tell Merlin to remember Aithusa."

The dragon's voice sounded distant as if he was no longer there. Arthur was divided between trying to figure out what had happened to Merlin and to do something to help the dragon for it was now clear the poor thing was in deep trouble. He opted for a compromise and, shaking Merlin, he tried to wake him up.

It was useless.

Merlin didn't wake and, what was worse, Kilgharrah's whole body appeared now translucent. The eyes, formerly a vivid yellow, looked dull and tired. Arthur didn't know what else to do so he settled for just watching as the dragon pushed himself up in the air flapping the huge wings once, twice, thrice until they became a glittery blur that merged with the silvery glow coming from Kilgharrah's body.

Arthur and the soldiers observed in some sort of trance as the light condensed into a single spot of incredibly bright light and then, it just shot down crashing into the earth, lifting up a massive cloud of dust. The King feared it would leave a gigantic crater on the ground but when the dirt settled, they all saw it:

It was the most magnificent oak Arthur had ever seen.

"Oh wow," one of the soldiers gasped in amazement.

"What was…" another one started.

Arthur quieted them with a gesture of his hand and for a moment, he decided to remain there in silence.

Somehow, he felt this was the right thing to do.

"Goodbye, Kilgharrah," the King said after a while.

Returning his attention to Merlin, he realised that it was pointless to wait until he woke up so, with the help of a couple of the soldiers, they got him onto his horse, securing him so he could make it to Ealdor. Arthur was acutely aware that showing up at Hunith's doorstep with her son, who was supposed to be dead, knocked out because of a dragon's magic had _not_ been the plan but it was the only thing he could do.

The party of eight arrived at the quiet village just before midday. Thankfully, the villagers were very familiar with Arthur for the King had visited them twice after Merlin's death, both having been futile attempts at trying to persuade Hunith to move to Camelot so that she could receive the care she deserved. The woman, of course, was as stubborn as Merlin and had very politely refused both offers.

"Good mor…" one of them said but then, he saw Merlin's unconscious form and shrieked loudly.

"Please," Arthur almost begged, "where may I find Hunith?"

"S…she's at home, My Lord," the man said stuttering badly.

"Thank you," Arthur replied.

Hurrying to the cottage where Hunith had always lived, he ordered his soldiers to get Merlin down from the horse but also instructed them to wait outside so that he could try to explain to Hunith what had happened.

Knocking on the door, he waited for Merlin's mother to invite him in.

"Good morning, Hunith," he said.

"Arthur," the woman said with a patient tone of voice, "I appreciate your concern…"

"I'm not here to ask you to come with us to Camelot," Arthur interrupted her, "I…er…well, I'm here with sort of good news." The King noticed her confusion so he added, "a few days ago, something extraordinary happened: we found…we found Merlin."

Understandably, Hunith needed to sit on her bench.

"Somehow he was alive…still is," he hurried to correct himself, "but something else happened on our way here and, well, he's not hurt but he's unconscious and I thought we'd bring him here until he wakes up."

"Of course," Hunith finally reacted, "where is he?"

"Just outside," Arthur replied. He knew the situation called for a more sober expression but, seeing Merlin's mother looking so happy made him smile. He now only hoped Merlin would regain consciousness soon.

After placing him carefully on Hunith's bed, the only one she owned, Arthur decided to step outside for a bit so that he could give her some space to be with her son. He could understand the poor woman, he was still in shock that Merlin was alive and he'd had quite a while to get used to the idea.

While they waited, some villagers offered them some food. Arthur didn't have the heart to decline and, after trying to eat the porridge he had been offered, he decided to keep himself busy by checking on their gear.

Meanwhile, Hunith was sitting by Merlin's side caressing his face with just her fingertips. She was so afraid she'd hurt him that she didn't feel confident enough to use her whole hand. The poor woman had always been used to hardship, having lost the love of her life to the crazed fears of a tyrant. She had then found herself unmarried and with child in a village well known for milking all sorts of gossip.

She'd been lucky that she'd had a few precious allies, both within and outside Ealdor. Thanks to that, she'd managed to bring up Merlin as well as she could. But his magic had always been a problem and much sooner than she hoped, she'd had to send him away to Camelot. She knew that it was the only thing she could do to keep him safe.

Yet, it was that act that put Merlin in danger and, when Arthur had shown up a little over a month ago, to inform her about Merlin's death, she had wanted to give everything up and just die. Her son was gone, and her heart had no reason to go on. That night, she was ready to do the unthinkable when she heard Balinor's voice telling her to hold on, that Merlin wasn't lost forever. To have faith in him.

And so she did.

"My boy," she muttered moving her hand from his face to his hand, "I knew you'd come back."

Carefully, she lifted his hand up and bent down to kiss it. She was rising again when she noticed his eyes.

They were wide open and were staring at her in confusion.

"Merlin!" she exclaimed happily.

"Mother?" he asked her, he glanced around clearly recognising the cottage, "what am I doing here?"

Hunith was going to reply when, pushing the door open with vehemence, Arthur stormed into the place.

"Merlin!" he shouted.

He started walking towards the bed when something in the way Merlin was looking at him made him stop.

"A…" the younger man tried, he then cleared his throat and, sitting up on the bed, he screamed, "Arthur!"

"Merlin," the King called again, "you…you…"

He couldn't finish the sentence for, right at that instant Merlin jumped up from the bed and wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck, hugging him like his very life depended on it. Arthur tried to find it in himself to protest but his arms had already draped themselves around Merlin's waist, tightening the embrace even further.

Merlin's mother chose that moment to leave them alone.

But neither of them noticed her departure and it wasn't until a full two minutes later that they decided to release each other; obviously not quite ready to break contact, Arthur remained with his hand firmly grasping Merlin's forearm. Looking up, the King saw Merlin's teary eyes boring into his face, as if he were trying to carve in his mind each and every single detail of it. Arthur found that very endearing and that made him say:

"Idiot, stop crying, I'm not going anywhere."

Merlin just started babbling inelegantly.

"Seriously," Arthur said, "I am NOT going anywhere, okay?"

Merlin nodded and, this time, he managed to say:

"I thought I would never see you again."

"I know the feeling," Arthur said darkly, "by the way, I order you not to do something as stupid as that ever again."

"What?" Merlin asked, "giving my life for yours?" he added rather cheekily.

"Yes," Arthur replied sounding dead serious.

"I can't make any promises," Merlin said matching his tone.

Arthur looked at his best friend and, shaking his head, he smiled again and said:

"It's good to have you…I mean, _all_ of you back."

"It's good to be back too," Merlin said then, he frowned and said, "speaking of, how did I manage that?"

Arthur looked horrified and forced himself to ask:

"Just how much do you remember of the past few days?"

Merlin thought about it and said, "not a lot."

The King had an odd sense of déjà-vu and, sitting down on the bed, he invited Merlin to do the same and spent the following hour giving a condensed version of what had happened ever since he'd been found in the Lake of Avalon. Of course, just in case, he decided to skip the conversation they'd had the previous night.

"…it's a pity you couldn't see it," Arthur said as he finished talking about Kilgharrah, "it was quite beautiful."

Only then he noticed Merlin looked rather distraught at the news, almost as if he'd been informed of a relative's death and that made Arthur imagine he still had a lot to learn about the art of the dragonlords.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Hunith said poking her head through the door.

"Oh please, come in," Arthur replied finding it strange he was inviting the woman into her own house.

"I just remembered this," Hunith said, "a courier brought it with him a couple of days ago."

She gave Arthur a piece of parchment addressed to him. It was sealed by the Camelot Royal Seal.

"Thank you," the King said breaking the seal open.

"Who would write to you here?" Merlin asked him.

"It's from Guinevere," Arthur said lifting his eyes for a moment, then he finished reading the missive: whatever it said, Hunith and Merlin both understood that it wasn't good news, "we've got to go."

"Okay," Merlin agreed without giving it a second thought.

"I'm really sorry Hunith," Arthur said glancing at Merlin, "I really wish you could spend more time with him…"

"It's fine," the woman said, "you do have a country to run and you need him by your side."

"That, I do," Arthur wasn't ashamed to admit. He grinned a little seeing Merlin's shocked expression but then, remembering the contents of the letter made him get serious again, "Merlin," he said, "I can only give you a few minutes. We're leaving as soon as the horses are ready."

"Of course," Merlin hurried to say.

Arthur stepped out of the room leaving Merlin alone with his mother.

"I'm sorry about this," he said, "after what you've been through…"

"Don't worry about me," Hunith said bravely, "I told you once and I'm telling you again, you need each other."

Merlin just nodded and, bending down, he hugged her petite frame hoping he'd see her again very soon.

"I love you, Mother," he muttered.

"I love you, too," she replied.

With this, the young warlock stepped out of the cottage, joining Arthur who was busy securing his bags on the horse. When the King saw him he signalled for him to get closer and, lowering his tone to a whisper said:

"Merlin, I meant it when I said I will need you, now more than ever."

"What's happened?" Merlin asked.

"A sorcerer has invaded King Odin's lands and disposed of the King, Guinevere said that Camelot's next."

_To be continued…_


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Albion's New Age**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

Though they were riding as fast as possible, night fell upon them only two thirds of the way. Arthur was anxious to reach Camelot but the forest they were crossing was not entirely safe. They did have a powerful sorcerer at their side but the King reminded himself Merlin had just recovered and abusing his magic probably wasn't a wise thing to do.

"We'll stop here," Arthur commanded.

Merlin nodded his approval and, dismounting, he started doing his usual chores.

"You don't need to do that," Arthur said watching him tending the horses.

"Why not?" Merlin asked him sounding a little surprised, "this is my job."

"I know that," Arthur replied, "it's just…"

"I don't mind doing it," Merlin interrupted him offering him a smile.

"Okay then," Arthur said, "I'll go and secure the area."

Merlin just nodded before returning his attention to the tired animals.

As the King walked away, he made a mental note to discuss with Merlin what his new role would be. Of course, he needed to figure it out himself first but, right now, the threat of an invasion took priority over everything else.

An hour later and after everyone had been treated to yet another delicious dinner courtesy of Merlin's cooking abilities, the warlock and his King were sitting by the campfire while three soldiers kept watch and the other three slept. Merlin was staring at the fire absorbed in deep thought.

"Merlin," Arthur started.

"Yes?" the warlock replied.

"Listen," he said, "can you do that thing with the fire?"

"What thing?" Merlin asked being purposely obtuse.

"That dragon thing," Arthur explained nonetheless.

Merlin glanced at the soldiers quickly before looking back at him, his eyes lingering on Arthur's. The king tried to read what he saw in them but his best friend lowered his gaze just before he could do that.

"Magic is not banned anymore," Arthur blurted out.

"Really?" Merlin asked, staring at his friend in disbelief.

"Yes," Arthur replied, "just after you…well, when…"

"I died," Merlin supplied.

"Yeah," Arthur said brusquely, "when that happened, I had a long chat with Gaius about what you had done for me, for Camelot," he noticed Merlin wanted to talk but he stopped him by saying, "it made me understand what you had always tried to tell me: magic is not evil, the people who misuse it are."

Merlin nodded at this and, once again, Arthur saw unshed tears in his best friend's eyes. He kept his eyes trained in Merlin's for a moment. He then smiled at him and, pointing at the fire with a stick he said:

"Go on, please. For my own amusement."

Arthur waited an instant then Merlin grinned, one of his adorably awkward grins, and whispered at the fire:

"_Upastige draca_."

Just as it had happened the night Merlin had revealed his true identity, Arthur watched as the sparks modelled themselves into a perfectly shaped dragon. Then, not happy with that, Merlin moved his hand and that made the dragon start flying around the camp amazing the soldiers who were keeping watch and waking up the ones who were resting. Arthur stopped paying attention to the dragon when he noticed Merlin's face: he looked so happy and so very much alive that it tugged at Arthur's heart.

This was Merlin.

This was _his _Merlin.

Too soon for the soldiers, the dragon got dissolved into thin air. The men were too shy to ask Merlin for another one so, they returned to their duties while the other three tried, and failed, to go back to sleep.

"You should get some rest," Merlin suggested to Arthur.

"What about you?" the King asked.

"I'm not tired," Merlin replied, "besides, I feel like I have been sleeping for days."

"Weeks, more like," Arthur tried to joke.

"Yes," Merlin was quick to agree.

They left the camp at first light and, after riding for a couple of hours, they finally saw Camelot. For Arthur and the soldiers it was a welcome sight: they were home. For Merlin, it was a whole other experience: the warlock had truly believed he'd never see the castle again and he was nervous about meeting with everyone.

"I can't wait to see their faces," Arthur said as if he could read Merlin's thoughts.

"Me neither," the warlock replied.

Neither man had to wait for too long. A few minutes later, they entered the main square where it soon became clear that the army was getting ready for battle. Arthur could see Leon and Percival discussing something while Gwaine was busy supervising equipment. Not far, he saw the Queen talking to a serving girl.

"Arthur!" she shouted seeing him, relief washing over her face.

"Sorry we took so long," the King said dismounting. He gave his wife a quick hug before looking at Merlin.

His best friend just stood there, looking almost unsure as to what to do.

"Merlin?" Gwen tried, "are you…" she stopped speaking when she finally noticed the difference in her friend.

"Hello Gwen," Merlin said sounding uncharacteristically shy.

"Oh Merlin!" the Queen exclaimed, "it's really… I mean, your memories are back, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are," he replied and, this time, he graced his features with a smile.

Gwen let go of her husband and, rushing towards her best friend, she gave him the mother or all hugs.

"Oh Merlin, oh…I…just…"

"I feel the same way," Merlin said carefully wrapping his arms around her small frame.

"Welcome back," she finally managed to say, releasing him just enough to be able to look up at him.

"Welcome home, old friend," he heard Gwaine say. Merlin looked around and saw Leon and Percival looking so happy that it made him want to burst out laughing. He got serious when he noticed Gaius wasn't there.

"Where's Gaius?" he asked Gwen, a mix of concern and fear imprinted in his voice.

"He's alright," the Queen hurried to assure him.

"He's probably in his quarters," Gwaine added, "and he'll be thrilled to see you."

Merlin glanced over Gwen's head at Arthur who, nodding once, he said:

"Go on, I'll be at the private council room trying to figure out what's happening. Come when you're ready."

"Thanks," Merlin said. He grinned at everyone and then he took off towards the Court Physician's quarters.

"This changes everything," Leon said once Merlin was gone.

"Indeed it does," Gwaine agreed looking exceedingly pleased.

Arthur nodded and then, without having to order them, all three knights and his Queen followed him inside.

Meanwhile, Merlin found himself in front of Gaius' door. It was ajar so he just pushed it open. He couldn't see anyone there so he stepped in the room and then he saw him: Gaius was perched on top of a long ladder, trying to get a book out of the shelf. Merlin's concern seeing the old man in such a precarious position proved correct when he watched as the physician turned round to see the newcomer. He lost his footing and…

Quickly, Merlin slowed down time and, just as he'd done the very first time he'd met the old man, he telekinetically moved the bed, placing it just under Gaius. He then returned time its normal speed and waited till the physician safely hit his own bed, thankfully just looking a little startled by the sudden fall.

"Merlin!" the man shouted scrambling to get back on his feet.

"We need to stop meeting like this," Merlin said with a cheeky grin.

"You're back!" Gaius said hurrying to hug his defacto son, "your magic is back!"

"That's a yes to both, Gaius," Merlin replied still smiling.

Feeling a little faint, the physician decided to sit back down on his bed and, instructing Merlin to do the same, he asked him to explain what had happened. Merlin obliged and relayed to Gaius the previous days' events.

"There's one thing that I don't understand," Merlin said, "how did Kilgharrah find me? I didn't call him."

"That's easy enough," Gaius replied, "your magic has a specific imprint. Kilgharrah was your kin, I'm sure he sensed it and used his powers to locate you. It's just as well he did because I couldn't find anything to help."

"I just wish I had the chance to say goodbye."

"You don't need to," Gaius said then, placing his index onto Merlin's chest, he said, "he's still there."

Merlin looked at the finger then, back at Gaius and said:

"You're right, I don't know how to explain this but, I feel his presence even more strongly than ever."

"That's because you're a dragonlord, once you connect with a dragon, he'll always be with you."

Merlin nodded and, remembering about the council meeting, he told Gaius:

"I'm very sorry but I need to go, I'm sure you've heard about the invasion."

"I have," Gaius confirmed.

"Do you know who the sorcerer is?" Merlin asked.

"No," Gaius replied, "but rumour has it he's a very powerful one. You must take care."

"I will," Merlin promised, "I'm hoping that offer of yours still stands."

"What offer?"

"My favourite meal?" Merlin asked, "you were supposed to have it ready for me, remember?"

Gaius laughed softly and, patting Merlin's hand, he said:

"I remember and it will be here, waiting for you."

"Good," Merlin said getting up from the bed. He stopped only to give his guardian a quick squeeze on his shoulder then he walked out the door ready to see what new peril was threatening his King and Camelot.

It turned out the sorcerer who had managed to kill King Odin was now in command of the army. A scouting patrol had seen them travelling from King Odin's lands crossing into Camelot's southern border. Leon had explained during the meeting that the army was heading north towards Camelot, passing through the Mountains of Isgard. Arthur had then agreed they needed to intercept them before they entered the Forest of Brechffa. For this reason, it was decided to depart at first light.

"Arthur," Merlin said to his best friend as they rode, "your strategy is a good one…"

"But?" the King asked, he knew Merlin well enough to know when he was questioning his judgment.

"But I think it's better if you and the army remain hidden in the forest."

"And what are you going to do?" Arthur asked.

"I'll confront the sorcerer," Merlin said confidently.

"Alone?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," Merlin confirmed.

Arthur remained in silence for a short while, considering his options. Meanwhile Merlin was preparing his arguments in case the King decided to unreasonable as usual but then, Arthur surprised him by saying:

"Okay, we'll do it your way."

"Really?" Merlin asked.

"I trust that you know what you're doing," Arthur simply replied.

"I do," Merlin confirmed sounding very pleased.

Camelot's army reached the Forest of Brechffa by sunset and stationed themselves following Arthur's commands, while Leon and Percival chastised Gwaine for having come to the battle in spite of his injured leg.

"They're here!" one of the scouts shouted running towards his King.

"Merlin," Arthur said.

"Stay here," the warlock ordered.

Without waiting for an answer, Merlin grabbed his magical staff and started marching out of the forest. Everyone there found odd the idea of Merlin, the nicest and humblest man they'd ever met, being powerful enough to confront an entire army. But he was and, stepping out of the trees, Merlin got ready to meet with the enemy.

The sorcerer showed up a little while later. Merlin observed he too was marching across the plain on his own, he felt the power emanating from the lone, cloaked figure and, in preparation he started focusing his magic.

Once the man was within hearing range, Merlin heard him say:

"It turns out you were right, Merlin: our paths have indeed crossed again."

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"Yes, you do," the man confirmed removing his hood revealing his identity, "it's me, Gilli."

_To be continued..._


	13. Chapter Twelve

A/N: The moment has come for me to announce that, after this one, I'm planning on writing just one more chapter and an epilogue. I'm aware that I could continue writing this, turning it into what would have been series six. However, I do have another story that really needs my attention but I need to finish this one first.

This doesn't mean I might not end up writing a sequel. Who knows? If any of you is interested in reading it and I can come up with a storyline I like, I probably will because I had a lot of fun writing this.

But now, I'll leave you to your reading. Many thanks for your support!

**Albion's New Age**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

* * *

If finding out the identity of the sorcerer hadn't done it, seeing the intense hatred in those huge blue eyes rendered Merlin speechless. For the life of him, he couldn't fathom what had happened to the younger man.

"Don't you have anything to say?" Gilli asked him sounding frankly disappointed.

Merlin tried to react and somehow managed to ask:

"Why?"

"Why?" Gilli repeated.

"Yes," Merlin said, "why are you doing this?"

Gilli let out a cruel sounding laugh and then, as though as he was talking to a child, he said:

"Come on Merlin, you know why."

"No, I don't," Merlin insisted.

"Aren't you afraid I might reveal your secret?" Gilli asked pointing at somewhere behind Merlin's back.

The warlock turned round and standing there, he saw Arthur, his knights and a few soldiers ready to fight.

Merlin frowned at his King's disobedience but then returned his attention to Gilli.

"They all know about my magic, it's not a secret anymore," he informed him. This took Gilli by surprise and that made Merlin add, "also, sorcery is not banned anymore in Camelot. Surely you know that."

"Yes, I do," Gilli replied, oddly he sounded angry rather than pleased.

"Then I'll ask you again," Merlin said, "why are you doing this?"

"Because it's too little and it definitely is too late," the young wizard spat, "we've grown tired of their arrogance, of their restrictions. Why should we live according to their rules? They know nothing of magic!"

"Who is this "we" that you're talking about?" Merlin asked.

"I'm not alone," Gilli said, "there are a lot of magic users who are ready to join our cause."

"What cause is that?" Merlin asked, "is it Morgana's? Is that your plan? To become like her?"

"No," Gilli replied with a sardonic smile, "she had it all wrong! She wanted to bring the Old Religion back. The Old Religion is all but dead. It is time for a New Order, it is time our kind gets to decide our own future."

"Gilli…"

"You have a choice," the young man said, "you're a good man and we could do with someone like you."

"No," Merlin firmly replied, "my allegiance is with King Arthur and it will always be."

"Then you've sealed your own fate," Gilli said looking genuinely sad.

"Please Gilli, don't make me do this," Merlin almost begged.

This made Gilli laugh out loud:

"What do you think you can do to me?"

"Please Gilli," Merlin tried again.

"I'm no longer the pathetic little boy you once knew," Gilli said, "I'm A LOT stronger now."

As if to prove it, Gilli conjured a ball of fire in his hand. Merlin looked horrified for a moment but then his own magical instincts kicked in: extending his palm towards Gilli, he whispered the spell to produce a shield:

"_Scildan_!"

"Is this how you're going to do this?" Gilli taunted him.

"I don't want to hurt you," Merlin said, "and I know you don't want to hurt me either."

"No, I don't," Gilli confirmed, "I still consider you my friend so I want to give you another chance."

"I can't change my mind," Merlin said, "I won't."

"Then you're leaving me no choice," Gilli said shooting the fireball towards Merlin's shield.

Merlin felt the impact on his palm but the protective device did its job quickly absorbing the energy.

"Gilli," Merlin tried, "for the last time, stop this!"

"No," the younger warlock replied while conjuring yet another fireball.

"Hasn't there been enough bloodshed already?" Merlin asked desperately, "how many more people must die?"

Gilli froze and, to Merlin's relief, the fireball vanished in his palm.

"Gilli," Merlin said, "I told you once that I understood. I still do, but this…"

He stopped speaking when he saw another clocked figure approaching them. Following Merlin's sightline, Gilli turned round and seeing this new arrival made him regain his resolution. He faced Merlin and said:

"I'm sorry Merlin. I tried giving you a chance, but you didn't take it."

"Forget it Gilli," the cloaked figure, a man said. He had not removed his hood so Merlin couldn't tell who it was, "you really are a surprise, Merlin," the man continued, "if only I had known about your great powers."

"Who are you?" Merlin asked coolly.

"Now, now," the man said, "that hurts. To think you could forget about me…"

"Who are you?" Merlin repeated, this time hardening his tone of voice.

At long last, the man decided to reveal his face and it took Merlin less than half a second to remember.

"Alvarr," he said.

"Oh, thank goodness," the older warlock exclaimed, "I thought I would have to introduce myself!"

With the situation quickly deteriorating, Merlin prayed Odin's army would remain right where it was. If he had to face another warlock, the last thing he needed was having two armies engaged in a melee getting in the way. For the same reason, Merlin hoped Arthur would keep his word to let him handle this.

"Now," Alvarr said, "Gilli here has been a great apprentice and I was hoping you'd want to join me too."

"Never," Merlin spat.

"Oh, you've made that perfectly clear," Alvarr said almost laughing.

"What are you waiting for, then?" Merlin asked him.

"So eager," Alvarr said with false admiration, "you would have been so useful to me."

"Like Morgana?" Merlin dared to ask.

He had the satisfaction of seeing Alvarr looking regretful but then, the older man said:

"She was a magnificent witch but she was severely misguided."

Merlin let out a humourless chuckle and said:

"A bit like you, then."

Alvarr and Gilli looked at each other then they focused on Merlin who tightened his grip on the staff. The whole atmosphere was started charging up with their combined magical energy, tension rose to new heights and Merlin realised there was no way to avoid a fight now so needed to come up with a strategy.

At that very moment, he saw both Alvarr and Gilli readying a fireball each. Without thinking, Merlin muttered "_scildan_!" to put his shield back up and managed to capture both missiles before they hit him. The two warlocks repeated the exercise twice before Alvarr ordered Gilli to stop.

Merlin knew something new was coming his way when Alvarr started muttering an incantation Merlin had never heard before. He watched as Alvarr pointed his fist towards Merlin's shield and from it he sent out a phenomenal sonic wave that managed to pierce right through it.

Seeing him temporarily unprotected, Gilli shouted _"atæse_!" shooting several rocks at Merlin who managed to avoid all but one. He felt the hit on one of his shoulder blades but he didn't let that ruin his concentration. Lifting up his palm and making a conscious effort not to use too much force, he shouted "_Ástríce_!" sending Gilli flying backwards. Merlin could only pray he hadn't killed the younger man, hoping he was just knocked out.

"_Bæl on bryne_!" Alvarr shouted then.

Merlin got his shield back up just in time to avoid the flames and, for the first time, he had a second to think.

"Merlin!"

"Not now Arthur," Merlin begged him.

"That won't work against me!" Alvarr screamed from the other side of the shield.

Merlin knew the man was getting ready to send another sonic wave so Merlin thought of a different spell:

"_Cume þoden._"

A tiny whirlwind started forming in the space between Merlin and the shield, he waited until it was powerful enough to lower the shield so he could send it to Alvarr; the wind, not only managed to extinguish the fire but also managed to push Alvarr onto the ground, making it impossible for him to attack Merlin.

This afforded Merlin the time he needed to point the staff at his rival and pronounce the incantation:

"_Acwele_!"

Alvarr somehow managed to produce a shield that covered him like a small dome. This protected him from the staff's ray but it just lasted for long enough to allow Alvarr to scramble onto his feet. As Merlin was getting ready to hit him with the staff again, Gilli chose just that moment to regain consciousness.

The rest happened very quickly:

Alvarr rushed to where Gilli was. Merlin watched the older man pulling him up then, to Merlin's shock, Alvarr unsheathed a small dagger and, placing it onto Gilli's neck, he glared at Merlin and shouted triumphantly:

"Drop that staff if you appreciate your friend's life."

Gilli looked just as stunned as Merlin felt.

"Let him go," Merlin commanded him.

"I won't," Alvarr said.

"You won't hurt him," Merlin said.

"You want to test that theory?" Alvarr asked him.

With horror, Merlin was forced to watch while Alvarr cut Gilli's neck, making him bleed.

"Alvarr…" Merlin warned.

"Drop that staff," the older man repeated.

Merlin considered using a heating spell on the dagger but he knew that Alvarr would still find a way to kill Gilli. Finding himself without options, Merlin glanced up at the sky and taking all by surprise, he shouted:

"_O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd hup anankes_!"

"What are you doing?" Alvarr demanded.

Merlin focused his attention back on the older man and, sounding unnervingly calm, he said:

"I'm giving you one final chance to release him."

"What are you…"

Alvarr's words got drowned in the terrifying sound made by Aithusa's gigantic wings. The wild dragon let out a furious roar that made everyone there tremble with fear. Merlin ceased that moment to rush towards Gilli. He grabbed the younger man, pushed him out of the way and unarmed Alvarr all with the same move.

Without wasting time, Merlin looked at the sky and shouted:

"_Aithusa, nun de ge dei s eikein kai emois epe essin hepesthai Alvarr_!"

The murderous look that appeared in Aithusa's eyes translated the command quite clearly:

Alvarr was doomed.

_To be continued…_


	14. Chapter Thirteen

A/N: This is the last chapter, the epilogue will be up soon, I hope! I did promise a happy ending, didn't I?

**Albion's New Age**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

Aithusa plunged down with the mighty strength typical of a young dragon and those who were within hearing range clearly noted the moment when the beast crushed Alvarr's bones for it made a truly sickening noise. She then flew away taking the mangled body with her and some misbehaved Camelot soldiers started cheering. They were quickly silenced by the tremendous war cry that came from the other side of the field: against all odds, Odin's army had decided to enter the battle.

Arthur quickly got to Merlin's side and, pointing at Gilli he advised:

"If you want to spare his life, get him out of here now!"

The warlock didn't think twice and as his King re-joined the knights, he called Aithusa once again:

"_O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd hup anankes_!"

The dragon came to him almost immediately landing by his side and looking at him expectantly. Merlin used a few moments to stare back at Aithusa, allowing the delicate bond between them to strengthen. Then, he grabbed a terrified looking Gilli and doing his best to be gentle, he got him on top of the dragon.

"Hold on tight," he instructed his friend then commanded to the dragon to leave, "_ithi_!"

Aithusa took off taking the young warlock with her. Merlin repressed a smirk when he saw poor Gilli trying to hold on to the flying beast, from personal experience, he knew that flying a dragon wasn't an easy feat.

He quickly forgot about such trivial things and, grasping his staff, he found Arthur just at the moment in which Camelot's army clashed against Odin's. Arthur quickly engaged into a sword fight against the army's commander; meanwhile Leon, Percival and Gwaine had also picked each a group of enemies to fight. Merlin considered going to help Gwaine but, noticing how proficiently the knight was fighting, in spite of his disability, persuaded Merlin to stay by his King's side.

Back to back, the two men used their best fighting skills: Arthur's legendary swordsmanship was quickly adding up as many kills as Merlin with his staff and, very soon, Odin's numbers became scarcer and scarcer.

"Let's round them up!" the King commanded.

Camelot's soldiers opened up in a circle, leaving what was left of Odin's army entrapped within. Merlin was about to start firing more rays of energy at them when he heard a dragon's flapping wings approaching fast.

"Aithusa!" he screamed up at the sky.

It was very easy to figure out what her intentions were and Merlin had very little time to warn everybody to:

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Most of Camelot's soldiers took cover running towards the forest, meanwhile Aithusa did what dragons do best and an instant later, a whole score of Odin's soldiers were roasted by her fire. Merlin watched the rest, probably less than two dozen soldiers, running towards the Mountains of Isgard. The warlock ordered the dragon to stop and land immediately; he couldn't help but to notice that this battle had not been fair.

"They attacked us first," he heard Arthur say.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"Don't pity them," Arthur replied, "they all knew what you could do and they still chose to launch an attack."

"Yes but…"

"You were amazing today," the King said with genuine admiration and respect in his tone of voice.

"Arthur…"

"Merlin!" Leon joined in, "that was some impressive use of magic."

"Well done," Gwaine added, "you probably saved our necks, _again_."

Percival was the last to join in but, he didn't waste words, instead, he patted Merlin's back and gave him a huge smile of approval. Merlin felt a little overwhelmed being the centre of so much attention so he said:

"What's going to happen with Odin's lands now?"

"I don't know," Arthur said, 'they have no ruler and their army has just suffered a major blow."

"Are we going to wait until they make their next move?" Gwaine asked.

"Yes," Arthur replied, "that's all we can do. Unfortunately, by crossing the border, they have broken the truce I had with King Odin. Now all I can do is to send a message to them asking to express their intentions."

"You don't think they'll declare war, do you?" Leon said sounding worried.

"I doubt it," Arthur reassured him, "but we must be prepared for anything."

"Yes," Merlin agreed, he then looked a little uneasy and said, "listen, about Gilli…"

"What about him?" Arthur asked neutrally.

"I know he's broken the law but I was wondering if you could pardon him," Merlin suggested, "he's not a bad person. I think he was brainwashed by Alvarr but I'm planning on fixing that."

"What are you going to do?" Arthur asked him.

"I'm not sure," Merlin replied honestly, "I'm thinking of teaching him about the healing arts."

"You would take him up as apprentice?" Gwaine asked him.

"Well," Merlin said feeling a tad embarrassed "not really, I'd just teach him stuff while keeping an eye on him."

"Merlin," Arthur said offering him a kind smile, "that's what we call an apprentice, you know?"

"I think it's a brilliant idea," Gwaine said and Merlin felt grateful for the support.

"Me too," Arthur agreed, "if you think you can pull this off, then I believe you."

"Thank you, Arthur," Merlin said smiling at his King.

"One more thing though," Arthur said, "once we return to Camelot, I'd like to discuss your new job."

"New job?" Merlin asked.

"Unless you want to be my manservant forever," Arthur ventured, "I was thinking of giving you a promotion."

"A promotion, what sort of promotion?" Merlin asked sounding a little doubtful.

"You'll see," Arthur replied, "but now I think you have something else that you need to take care of."

Merlin followed his eyes and noticed for the first time that Aithusa was still there, looking like she was having a lot of fun scaring people out with her fire. While he rushed towards her, Merlin couldn't help but to think that perhaps it would be a good idea to train her up a bit so she'd be a bit better behaved in public.

"Aithusa," he shouted speaking up at her.

The dragon looked at him with her huge blue eyes full of wonder. Merlin knew the poor thing couldn't speak but somehow he felt that their connection made it possible for them to understand one another. It was this that made him think the dragon wanted something from him. Then, he remembered about the young man.

"Where is Gilli?"

Aithusa conveyed something he interpreted as "somewhere safe."

"Can you take me to him?"

This time, the dragon simply nodded.

"Okay, wait here for a moment," he instructed her then, as an afterthought, he added, "and no fire, okay?"

Merlin repressed a chuckle when he saw the blatant disappointment on Aithusa's expression. Shaking his head in disbelief, he scanned the area looking for his King. He found him helping a few wounded soldiers.

"Do you need help in here?" he asked once he reached him.

"No," Arthur replied, "they're just minor cuts and bruises, nothing that needs a proper physician."

"That's good," Merlin said, "because Aithusa wants me to go with her."

"How do you know?" Arthur asked.

"She told me," Merlin replied, "via our telepathic bond."

Arthur looked like he was trying to wrap his head around the fact that a _dragon _was telepathically communicating with his best friend then, it seemed like his brain failed to process any of it and he just said:

"Yeah, sure, do whatever you want."

"Just do me a favour," Merlin asked, "tell Gaius to hold that meal for me, I might be a little late."

"I'll let him know," Arthur promised.

With that, the King of Camelot observed as his best friend walked towards the white dragon and, mounting it as if it were a horse, the pair took off flying away at neck breaking speed. It was a truly bewildering sight.

After a short flight, Merlin saw that they were heading towards a cave. Aithusa took special care to land as smoothly as possible and Merlin mentally complimented her on her flying. This seemed to please her for she let out what Merlin thought was the dragon's equivalent to a cat's purr and he felt absurdly happy about that.

"Where to?" the warlock asked her.

The dragon moved forward into the cave and just there, he saw an utterly terrified Gilli sitting right next to what Merlin realised was Alvarr's bloody corpse. He hurried toward the poor Gilli and crouched next to him.

"Hey," he said softly, "are you hurt?"

Gilli looked at him as though he didn't even understand English.

"Gilli," Merlin tried again, "I know you're in shock but we need to get you out of here. Can you stand up?"

The poor man gave him the tiniest nod.

"Okay," Merlin said getting back up. He then offered Gilli his hand and helped him get on his feet.

"Merlin…" the young man whimpered and without further notice, he crushed his face onto Merlin's chest, bursting out in tears. He was sobbing so loudly that it created a weird echo within the cave's stony walls.

"Shush," Merlin soothed him, "you're safe now, it's going to be fine."

"I'm so sorry," Gilli babbled, his voice muffled against Merlin's chest, "I am so, so sorry."

"It's okay," Merlin assured him. He gently pushed him away and said, "what would you say if I ask you to come to live in Camelot? I could teach you the healing arts and perhaps we could practice magic together."

Gilli looked like he'd just been knighted.

"I take that as a yes?" Merlin asked him with a smile.

"Yes, I'd like that," the young man said trying to wipe his tears.

"Okay," Merlin said, "now, I need to take care of something first but we'll be out of here in a moment."

Gilli just nodded and Merlin took that as the cue to get to Alvarr's body or what was left of it. He wrapped it with the badly torn cloak and then, without magic, he started gathering stones around it until it was completely covered. He was joined by Gilli who placed a final one on it. The two then said a prayer together.

"Okay," Merlin said, "we can…"

Aithusa interrupted his sentence by letting him know she still wanted something from him.

"What is it?" he asked her.

She answered by making her way even further into the cave. Merlin followed her leaving Gilli behind since the young man was still too scared of the dragon to go anywhere near it. They made it all the way to the bottom of the cave where he found a much larger space and, in the middle of it, there was a little pond.

"This is quite beautiful," Merlin commented.

Aithusa just indicated him the water and, feeling curious, Merlin walked towards it.

The water wasn't very deep and of a brilliant blue which reflected a light from a mysterious source. Getting closer to the surface, he saw that the light was emanating from something round. Looking at it more carefully, Merlin realised he'd seen something like this once before. And he'd thought he'd never see it again.

A dragon's egg.

Shivering with emotion, he looked up at Aithusa and, on the verge of tears, he asked her:

"Is this yours?"

Aithusa nodded looking already like a happy mother.

"Oh, Aithusa…" Merlin said so desperately trying not to cry that he almost forgot what his job was.

Mentally asking for her permission, he obtained it and, grabbing the egg with the utmost care, he took it out of the water. Then, placing it on top of a rock, he waited until Aithusa dried it using a powerful jet of fire.

"Can I get Gilli to watch this?" he asked her.

Aithusa nodded once again and Merlin rushed to get the younger warlock. Gilli had to literally be dragged there but, as soon as they arrived, he noticed the massive dragon egg and said:

"Is that…"

"Yes," Merlin said with a massive grin.

"What are we going to do with it?"

"You'll see," Merlin replied getting serious. Taking a very deep breath, he allowed his dragonlord soul to connect with the contents of the egg. Then, with his dragon voice, he called the creature into life, "s_aviik_."

"What does that mean?" Gilli half whispered.

"In the dragon language, it means "savior"," Merlin explained while keeping his eyes glued to the egg.

Slowly but surely, the little baby dragon broke free from the rock hard cover and, very soon, the newborn extended his golden wings for the first time ever. Merlin looked at Aithusa sharing a very special moment with her.

"Congratulations," he said, "you're a mother now."

Aithusa couldn't have looked any prouder.

_To be concluded…_


	15. Epilogue

_A/N: As I promised, here's the epilogue and the happy ending I would have liked to see in the actual series. From now on, every time I will watch Merlin's series finale, I will stop it before the infamous scene, you know, the one with the boat and I will re-read this adopting it as my official head canon._

_Perhaps, this way I'll manage to survive the finale without breaking my heart in a million pieces. If this also helps one or some of you, then I think my mission is complete._

_Now, all I have left is to thank you all so very much. I published this story with great trepidation for stepping into a new fandom as a fanfiction writer is always very daunting. Mercifully, you guys are fantastic and have all exquisite manners. Your kind words have encouraged me to write more Merlin based stories in the future._

_Till then, thank you again for your continued support, I hope you enjoy the final instalment!_

**Albion's New Age**

* * *

**Epilogue**

* * *

Two weeks after the battle, in a mild morning of late spring, Merlin stood behind the city walls, watching the splendid view his high position offered. The clear skies allowed him to see a large portion of the Kingdom and, smiling, he felt a little bit proud of the peace he'd helped his King achieve.

Glancing down at his new dark blue robes, he felt the heavy fabric and, for the umpteenth time ever since he'd received them, he wished he could go back to wearing his usual attire. Alas, Arthur insisted that his Minister for Magic could not be seen wearing serving boy's clothes, no matter how comfortable they were.

"Merlin!" he heard his King calling out.

Turning round, he saw his best friend rushing towards him in a very un-kingly manner.

"Yes, Arthur?"

"Queen Annis just arrived," he informed him, "she's asking to see you as soon as you can."

"Is she feeling unwell again?" Merlin asked frowning a little.

"No," Arthur replied, "she's in top form, thanks to you."

"It was nothing," Merlin brushed it off.

"You saved a Queen's life, Merlin," Arthur said seriously, "you should learn to take the credit you deserve."

Merlin just nodded.

"Have you considered King Rodor's offer?" he asked Arthur.

"Yes," the King replied, "what do you think about it? Can I do it?"

"Arthur," Merlin said, "I don't know anyone better suited for the job. Queen Annis has already agreed to it and after having accepted to place King Odin's lands under Camelot's protection, I think it's only fair you become the overseer of Nemeth and Caerleon, that will put us one step closer to a truly united Albion. After all, it was your destiny."

"My destiny was to die and wait for Albion's great moment of need," Arthur reminded him.

"No," Merlin said, "that was never your true destiny, at least not in this lifetime."

"If you say so," Arthur said, "come on, everyone is waiting for…"

"Wait," Merlin stopped him, he glanced up at the sky and noticed a couple of specks flying towards them, "look," he told Arthur, his heart swollen with pride, "Aithusa is taking Saviik on his first flight."

The King and his Sorcerer watched as the two dragons approached. Aithusa's white hide was gleaming against the sun but it was nothing compared to the beautiful golden glow coming from Saviik's new scales.

"You look like a proud mother," Arthur teased him.

Without looking at him, Merlin shook his head and said:

"Not a mother, a father."

"What?" Arthur asked.

This time Merlin lowered his gaze down to Arthur's level and tried to explain.

"I know it sounds strange but, as a dragonlord, I was responsible for both Aithusa's and Saviik's births. In a way, I am their father."

"Okay," Arthur replied making an obvious effort to understand.

"Don't strain yourself, you might get hurt," Merlin laughed.

"Merlin," Arthur warned him, "I am still your King, you know?"

Merlin just smiled and said:

"Of course, My Lord."

"Let's go," Arthur said shaking his head in defeat, "we've got work to do."

"Speaking of that," Merlin said as they started walking, "I want to take Gilli to the Grove of Brineved and, if my memory does not fail me, you did promise me a couple of days off."

"What?" Arthur asked, "I never said that."

"Yes you did," Merlin countered.

"Never," Arthur insisted.

"I'm hurt," Merlin protested feigning dismay, "I thought I was the only friend you've ever had and you didn't want to see me suffer."

Arthur's shocked expression made Merlin want to laugh out loud but then his King reacted in his usual way:

"Merlin, mention that again and I'll put you in the stocks for a month."

"I'd like to see you try," Merlin challenged him.

Arthur went to grab Merlin's head but the warlock just dodged him. Soon, both men were chasing each other around the royal garden, completely disregarding the fact that they were King Arthur and Minister Merlin.

Up in the sky, the pair of dragons observed the scene looking rather amused.

_The End._


End file.
